Friday, December 3, 2021
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My Aunt Doris, my Godmother, was an inspiration and guiding force in my life ever since I was a child. It should be mentioned that she was born on the same day and year as Shirley Temple which was often noted. Although Hollywood did not come calling for her, she had an enormous influence anyway, especially on me. From the first words I uttered about what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said "Countess." That, of course, referred to being an Accountant like my Aunt who travelled the world and brought us back wonderful gifts from all the countries she and Uncle Lou had the opportunity to visit while working at Pan American Airlines. And what was the ultimate factor to me, she had upstairs in her house, actual airline seats from Pan American planes. Talk about impressive.
I did make it to be an accountant, and although I loved it, things did not turn out to be quite as glamorous as I initially expected. I did not realize that behind the scenes Aunt Doris worked very hard. And she was such a success because she possessed traits of hard work combined with being a perfectionist that came from the Zero family. Those traits never diminished throughout her lifetime. When the time came and Aunt Doris and Uncle Lou were blessed with children, she stayed home and shifted to the "mother" mode with ease, with the occasional help of our Grandmother Marion.
For whatever reason, the lure of the Accounting world called her back when the children were older and she renewed her career. This time she worked closer to home with another International company. Since she had a keen eye for detail and a wonderful background in Business, she rose through the ranks in that job, in addition to caring for her family and having a social life that would be enviable to most of us.
I don't know how she did it, but many a night she went to bed at 2 am or later, after doing paperwork on the dining room table when her chores at home were finished. Then she was up again early, helping the kids get to school and herself to the office.I also would have to mention that my Aunt never complained nor did she ever talk negatively about anyone. Even when she had very bad caregivers in the hosptial, she would not say anything directly about them.
In the long run, my Aunt Doris had a very full life-- A "spiritual" life full of plenty of friends, plenty of family all over the world, and a beautifully kept home. All of her children were well educated and married successfully and gave her two grandchildren each,whom she loved so much. In the end, as difficult as it was for her to make trips outside the house, she made it to Mass each Sunday. She loved the Roman Catholic faith that was handed down to her by her parents, and their parents and so forth down the line.
It is so hard to know that Aunt Doris is not on the end of her cell phone any more to reach out to her.. She carried her cell phone in her pocket at all times and if she did not pick up right away, you knew she would call you back very shortly. And you can bet your bottom dollar, one of those big button, jitterbug cell phones for seniors is not what she used. Her cell phone was more advanced than mine. And she used it well. She also read books on her kindle.
The last thing I will say is that she had a charm about her, and a sweetness and also a twinkle in her eye (as you can see in her picture) that many in the Zero and Corsaro family possessed. It is not easy to put into words what that charm was, but it was indeed a sweetness that many people experienced. I often witnessed that.
Talking about Aunt Doris would not be complete without mentioning the fact that her three children worked as a well-oiled team to do the very best they could to help her after her fall, while at the same time having full-time jobs and families of their own. They had to navigate the complicated medical world of doctors with different specialities, the ER, the hospital, the palliative care unit and finally a facility to help get her back on her feet. Along with that, they kept constant vigil at her bedside taking turns so she would not be alone and cooking homemade meals for her to help get her stronger. All the decisions were made with love and hope; with Vicki reminding her mother constantly, "We will take one day at a time, Mom, just one day at a time." And that is how it went. We all thought she would get stronger and make it back home. But in the end, God wanted Aunt Doris home.
And so we all have been blessed by the wonderful legacy of a remarkable person, Aunt Doris. May God hold her in the palm of his hands. She can rest now in his care.
And that is my story of Aunt Doris, a person I loved very much, and miss immensely.
