Good Day everyone, my name is Mykel Douglas, Gloria’s Nephew.

Gloria Ferron-Cross was a second mother that I did not get the opportunity to spend a lot of physical time with, as much of our conversation was over the phone because of the distance. Being like a son to her, I was honored to be given such a close position, although at times, I wondered if her love for bun and cheese was much more than the love she has for me.

Back when Aunty Gloria was in Jamaica, even though I was of a young age and I may not have understood it then, but thinking back now, she had a strong love for family. Aunty Gloria was kind, soft hearted and always willing to help in any way possible. Also, when it came to food, I think everyone knew Aunty Gloria was the greatest chef in town. She had a natural passion for cooking fancy dinners with various meat kind dishes. Aunty Gloria was a “foodie” as they would say in Jamaica.

After Aunty Gloria left for the USA, our communication was minimal but her daughter Shernett would visit us at times in keeping with our small family tradition of visiting each other. Shernett was a great cousin anyone would want to have, as she was always there to listen and participate where she could with making family conscious decisions. Like my role now as an older cousin, I try to mentor and share my knowledge and experiences with the younger ones.

With the sudden passing of Shernett, Aunty Gloria took it very hard as it was a very difficult time for her. And even though the family grieved, only God knew the pain Aunty Gloria felt, as the bond between a mother and child is very sacred and if broken would be traumatic.

Many years ago, Lercy Ann Ferron-Grey (Gloria’s only sister which is my mom) reflected that she too saw aunty Gloria as a second mother. As she would continuously assist her younger siblings in ways that their mother Ms. Hazel Ferron could not at the time. Over the years I was able to bridge the limited communication between the two sisters which later resulted in a fruitful relationship with the help of modern technology.

As I matured and became wiser to some extent, aunty Gloria and I started to see how best we could make things better for our family. We talked frequently and remained positive of the goals we have in mind and as always, I would encourage her to see the better side of the end result. Of course, this was not easy, as its best being physically around rather than on the phone/skype to keep the focus.

We did make progress, but as we are all here gathered today, which for our family is an unexpected calling of God but only he knows best being the master of time and all creations. I do appreciate and will always cherish the memories which remain as a blessing to be a part of such a wonderful woman lives journey.