NOTE: Below is Tyra’s obituary and the 2nd article written by her best friend from childhood in 2010.
Los Angeles Times, Friday, December 27, 1985
Tyra Ann Gucciardo, beloved daughter of Joseph and Ann Gucciardo; granddaughter of Vito Paoietta, Sr., of Glendale; sister of Traci Gucciardo of Glendale. Recitation of the Rosary Friday, December 27, 7:30 pm and Funeral Mass Saturday, 9 am, both at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church. Interment in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. Visitation from 1 to 4pm, Friday at Eckerman-Heisman Funeral Service Chapel, Burbank 818 846-2131.
Gustine Press-Standard, Gustine, California, Thursday, December 26, 2010
By Julie Rose
Remembering loved ones who enriched our lives
Believers know this already but it has to be said again….God works in mysterious ways, as I was reminded during a special moment last weekend.
I set out to attend the Compassionate Friends candle lighting ceremony Sunday with the intent of lighting a candle in memory of my parents, whom I continue to miss dearly, especially during the holidays. Christmas has not been the same since they passed and I miss them so much that I wonder at times if something is wrong with me.
Last year I lit a candle for them and although it was difficult for me to announce their names as I received the candle from Compassionate Friends organizer Glennis Kidder, I found great comfort in the process so decided to attend again this year. But to my amazement, when it came time for me to light a candle, another person came to mind. Someone I hadn’t thought about in years but felt compelled to remember.
Glennis had opened the evening with a heartfelt invitation to those in attendance to celebrate their loved ones by sharing a little bit about who they were as people. She reminded us all that although there is a time for mourning and the void that losing someone in our lives leaves, will never be filled, it is important to honor their lives, to remember their goodness, the special traits we loved about them and to honor them that night. It is important, she said, that they never be forgotten and sharing their stories that night is one way to do so.
As I was listening to other people talk about their children, siblings and friends who had passed away at a young age, I was reminded of a dear friend who passed away suddenly at the age of 24. Tyra Gucciardo was my best friend from the first time we met in first grade. She passed away Christmas Eve 25 years ago.
She and I spent our childhoods almost attached at the hip; people thought we were sisters. We went to school together, were in Camp Fire Girls together, played on the same softball team and spent every day after school at one of our homes. We grew up together, shared our dreams and kept our secrets and celebrated our triumphs. She is a major part of most of my childhood memories. We were inseparable. When my family moved to San Jose we still stayed in touch and got together as often as we could even though we lived over 300 miles apart.
And then one day, one awful day, I visited her for the last time. She had had a pain in her arm one day and three weeks later, on Christmas Eve 1985, God called her home, just that quickly she was gone. I was devastated and I didn’t understand how He could let that happen. I was mad at God and mad at the world for quite a while actually.
Time passed, life went on, and eventually I came to terms with her death and my loss. Somewhere along the line, I came to realize the gift she had been in my life. How fortunate I had been to have such a wonderful friend and what a tremendous gift it was to be her friend.
I was reminded of that gift on Sunday as I lit a candle in her memory. And since then, I have been bombarded with memories of fun times with her, like the year we got matching umbrellas and rain slickers and we tried to fly with them one very windy day. (that didn’t turn out so well, but it’s a memory that brings back a smile of innocent times.) Or the Christmas we each got the same doll from Santa Claus. I think it was called Dancerina. I just remember she had a plastic crown that you push to make her twirl. We were so excited we each got one. By the way, our parents were very good friends, too, and in constant communication.
My best friend Tyra Ann Gucciardo, was a kindhearted, gentle, fun, responsible, smart young woman that I am grateful to have shared my childhood with. She was a gift and I thank Glennis and those who attended the Compassionate Friends ceremony for reminding me.
No comments:
Post a Comment