Flora Corea:
God has her in His keeping; I have her in my heart
I met her when we were in our teens representing our schools at a national schools drill display at the Reid Avenue Race Course, I remember the anxious moments I went through not knowing what I should be talking about when I was totally unprepared for such a meeting. Years later when we were talking on the phone she was reprimanded by the family for talking to a boy and from then onwards there followed numerous restrictions on her freedom. When we were confronted with strong opposition she stood by me and swore that she never would allow anyone to come between us. Despite the disparity in our family backgrounds; she, coming from a business background and a Colombo 7 upbringing and I, from a professional background and a traditional Chilaw Corea upbringing, apart from our different religious faiths must have contributed to her family’s obsession. While she anticipated stiff opposition from her side, as for me, I knew that Flora had the charm that would click with my parents. On my part I gave her the assurance that I would not in any way be instrumental in bringing unpleasantness or any form of hostility between father and daughter hoping that when it came to the crunch, differences could be ironed out. This unfortunately did not materialize during his lifetime.
When the opposition continued she stood by me fired by a steadfast devotion, never flinched, worried or despaired. The courage and determination she showed in the face of almost insuperable odds is something I admired and will never ever forget. We cancelled a hotel booking for a wedding reception and an order for jewellery which had been made without her consent and took the decision to get married by special licence.
My ambition was to be a lawyer like my father with some additional accomplishments which doubtless would have been a pleasant surprise to him. With the situation going from bad to worse on Flora’s side I had no option but to abandon my plans and take the only course of action that seemed plausible. We got married by special licence, had lunch and dropped her in school agreeing to come the next day and drive off with her personal belongings.
What followed was an unexpected drama. When all the doors and windows were closed she climbed the window sill in her upstairs bedroom and jumped to the ground with the marriage licence in hand. Fortunately, she landed on the garden dustbin which broke her fall. Armed with the marriage licence there was nothing anybody could do to prevent her from joining her legitimate husband. When she finally left the house my cousin suggested that she be shown to a doctor which we did at 1.40 in the morning. With no visible external injuries the doctor who was a family friend wanted to see an X-ray first thing in the morning joking that if Flora had cleared such a height in the Olympic Games she would definitely have won a gold medal for herself!
I next changed my original plans, joined a leading multi-national company, enjoyed working and excelled in my job. Together, Flora and I started putting our plans into operation. I bought the wedding rings with my very first salary and until we were able to furnish our three-roomed house with genuine furniture used strong wooden boxes padded and draped with elegantly pleated skirtings to serve as drawing room furniture without anyone knowing what was concealed underneath.
The family we had planned for was complete with the addition of four lovely children – Ramani, Dilhani, Sharmini and Sanjeeva adding immeasurable value to our lives!
Flora, has gone leaving a void which cannot be filled and I am just picking up the bits and pieces of a shattered life and putting them together capturing the unforgettable incidents that gave meaning and purpose to our life. She was a rare human being with sterling qualities, always caring for others and making them feel loved and wanted. The many nice things that are being said by those who knew her are a testimony of the lovely person she was!
God has her in His keeping;
I have her in my heart.
Sri Sangabo Corea
Herman V.S. De Zoysa
Great emphasis on commitment to work
It is with deep love and gratitude that we pen these lines on the 25th year remembrance of the death of Herman V.S. De Zoysa of Mutwal, on October 8 2017. He married Rogeen Ethel Anthony of Ragama, a teacher by profession.
Daddy’s death at the age of 67 after a brief but complicated illness which was never properly diagnosed came as a deep shock to us his family, extended family and loved ones.
When we reflect on his life the most remarkable observation that strikes us is the amazing faith and trust he had in God. The greatest legacy he bestowed on us together with Mummy is a strong Catholic faith and the value of prayer which we in turn have instilled in our children.
Daddy regarded his seven children as the most precious gift from heaven and his responsibility towards the family as his sacred duty. Children and their welfare was the foremost concern on his mind. He never complained about the challenges he had to face bringing up seven children and always held on to the truth that God would take care of every need.
From a very young age, we were aware of Daddy’s keenness and desire to educate us. He was one of the early students to enter the, then University of Ceylon, from St Joseph’s College Colombo10, (during the time of Rev. Father Peter Pillai’s Rectorship). For him education was wealth. He emphasized on education and strong values as key factors that would take us forward to the future. He never encouraged us to strive for material wealth, but emphasized on commitment to work, honesty and perseverance; honesty was a great trait of his character.
When we were in school he took a keen interest in our studies despite his numerous responsibilities. He would accommodate us anytime that we requested his help in our school work, whether it be English, English Literature or Arithmetic (these were his favourite subjects) or any other subject. He would accompany each one of us for public exams including the O/Ls and A/Ls. When we were studying for professional/ undergraduate exams late into the nights; he too would keep up with us on the pretext that he had office work to be completed and make our much awaited late night energy drink.
He always helped with household chores despite being the sole breadwinner of the family, knowing that it was difficult for Mummy to handle the large household alone with or without domestic help. It was no easy task bringing up seven children.
His greatest happiness was to see us achieve great heights in our respective professions and cherished each step of our success together with Mummy. All the children indeed kept up to his expectations becoming professionals in their respective fields.
Daddy was a senior SLAS Officer and held very responsible positions in the Government and finally retired as the Director of Pensions. He willingly helped anyone irrespective of status in his official capacity and helped numerous people who came his way; poor or rich, relatives, friends or acquaintances.
He lived a few years, into seeing only some of his grandchildren. He was greatly excited to travel to the UK with Mummy and witness the birth of his first granddaughter and spend time with the family. Over here, he would visit his grandchildren almost daily and loved to spend long hours enjoying their company. In the final reminisces, we cannot but be proud of him as a great father … a strong but a silent man…humble and modest, kind and gentle…, a man of God.
Your life is truly...truly … a Memory of Selfless love…….. .
We still miss you awfully dear daddy ……………
It is with utmost love and gratitude we remember Mummy today for having continued the dual role for 25 long years, after Daddy’s death fulfilling the multiple responsibilities towards – children, grandchildren, Church and the community. We, continue to seek her advice in times of need and truly count on it … as God Inspired………
Priaydevi, Sirimal, Lakmalie, Damayanthi, Dharshan, Sunesh and Nilusha