Remembering Marcia Gordon-Fraser
Celebrating the Life of
Marcia Gordon-Fraser
Dec 28, 1962 - Jan 27, 2021
The Virtual Celebration of Life for
Marcia Gordon-Fraser
from Saturday, February 13, 2021
1:00 PM Eastern Time
Biography
On Friday, December 28th, 1962, a bouncing baby girl was born to Violet Ruth Grant and Gerald Gordon. She was named Marcia Sharone Gordon. She was the last of three (3) children for Violet and the same for Gerald. Marcia started her formal education in 1965 at Ms. Beecher’s Basic School at the Ocho Rios Methodist Church in Jamaica. She then moved on to the Ocho Rios Primary School in 1969. After spending six (6) years at the primary school, she was successful in her Common Entrance Examination which saw her entering the gates of Ferncourt High School in September 1975. After graduating from Ferncourt, Marcia went on to further her studies at Fitz Henley Secretarial Institute, where she gained a certificate in Secretarial Studies.
Marcia lived with her sister Etna in Lime Hall, Jamaica for some time. It was while living there, she met and fell in love with Carl Anthony Fraser in 1979. A few years later, their love produced a beautiful baby girl, Anneka Fraser on October 3, 1984.
Marcia entered the hotel industry in 1989 starting out at Sandals- Ocho Rios as a housekeeper and was later promoted to a supervisor. She then moved on to Ciboney as a housekeeping supervisor, where she stayed until she migrated to the United States in November 1994. Living away from her family was not what Marcia enjoyed and so she wasted no time in landing a job at the Howard Johnson Hotel as a housekeeping supervisor at which she worked diligently, in order to start the preparation of having her family with her. Marcia returned to the love of her life, Carl Anthony Fraser, who she wed on Saturday August 26, 1995, she now became known as Marcia Sharone Gordon-Fraser.
In the US, Marcia wanted to provide a better life for her and her family which led her to enter the healthcare field. Marcia then landed a job at Memorial Regional Hospital as a Patient Care Technician, which she performed with diligence and care for fourteen years. She also went to Sigma Career Institute and became a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). Marcia loved what she did, she was passionate about her job and she was an excellent care giver. During her tenure at Memorial, she was presented with many awards, as appreciation for her dedicated service. In addition to her professional achievements, Marcia also achieved many personal milestones such as buying her first home and car after being in the US only a short while.
Marcia was so dedicated to her job, so much so, that only sickness could have separated her from it, before her formal retirement. And so, Marcia separated from Memorial Regional Hospital in 2015 when sickness decided that she could go no more.
Marcia was destined to be a caregiver from a young age. It was no surprise that after spending many years in the hotel industry, that Marcia returned to being a caregiver. This was indeed her passion, so much so, after prematurely retiring from Memorial Regional Hospital, and not being used to sitting around, not being able to participate in gainful activities, she would care for her neighbor’s young child while his parents went to work. Marcia also cared for her parents with such diligence and love. Marcia, not allowing her disability to get the better of her, would bake cakes at Christmas time, based on orders and also as gifts for family and friends. She also enjoyed cooking for her family, especially around the holidays. This is a skill she learnt from her late mother, Violet. Marcia was also the “keeper of secrets” and an official confidant, not only to her daughter Anneka, but also to her nieces Kamarah, Syndia and Asian.
Marcia felt ill on Thursday, January 21, 2021, she and her dearly beloved Carl went to do the COVID 19 test on Friday, January 22, 2021 and the test returned positive on Saturday, January 23, 2021. In spite of this, Marcia remained resolute that she would fight this virus with the help of the Lord.
However, on Wednesday, January 27, 2021, she was later confirmed to have transitioned to be with her savior.
Marcia slipped away from husband, Carl, daughter, Anneka, 2 sisters (Etna and Pamela) and 2 brothers (“Jackie” and “Garth”), her best friend Jennifer, many nieces and nephews and a host of other relatives and friends. Sleep in peace my dearly beloved and let light perpetually shine upon you.
GONE BUT WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN
When Great Trees Fall
Maya Angelou
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
lumber after safety.
When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, brie!y.
Our eyes, brie!y,
see with
a hurtful clarity.
Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.
Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces "ll
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Download PDF of this poem
Ms. Mattie Final Call:
Walk Good Auntie Marcia
By Syndia Payne
Mattie gal you finally call
You ask me how I feel
From Wednesday, January 27
Is like mi inna one bad dream
Gal I don't know how I feel
Is a constant pain in my heart
Is like a blender just tun on
And ripping me apart
Gal mi no know what to say
Dis one lick mi fi six
Aunt Marcia really gone
Mi just cannot adjust to it
Yes gal, mi know she love when you call
She always ask bout you
A wonder when you a go talk
About the latest issue
Girl every time you call
We siddung and laugh and chat
We discuss the issue in details
Mattie gal, mi a go miss dat
Auntie Marcia love the "Tax Cut Update"
And she was glad you say "Thank you Mama P"
And the "Government Credit Card"
Was one of the favorite fi we
We chat fi hours bout this
"Jamaica High Court and Locks"
She was upset about how
The school react to that..
Bwoy she loved 45 and Sis. Rona
She seh "this no so-so suh"
"Hard eye Pinckney nyam rock stone fi true cuz.Love it.But me still think some hoax in this with
Trump."
Those were do last words
She write bout yuh gal
Mattie sometimes mi no jus no know
If mi have di strength to carry on
An when yuh call bout "Riot in "Merica"
It was the last time we talk bout yuh
Ah gal dis pain in mi heart
Mi no know mi a go mek it thru
Mattie yuh know what she meant to me
She was mi best friend and confidant
She was my adviser, mi teacher
She was much more than mi aunt
She called me tap a tap
In her eyes I was di very best
She made me feel like a queen everyday
Even when mi was a mess
So Auntie Marcia thank you
Thank you fi all the years
Especially after Polly left
Thank you for standing with me
When I was my lowest and my best
Thank you for the laughter
And the 2 - 4 hour phone calls
Thank you pushing me
Even when I couldn't go on
Thank you for never judging me
Thank you for loving me as I am
Thank you for reprimanding me
Thank you for keeping me strong
Anneka thank you
for sharing Aunt Marcia with me
I might not say it all the time
But I really appreciate it.
What yuh seh Mattie gal
Dat dis is your last call
Dat you putting down so phone
And a retire with Auntie Mar.
Well gal mi a go miss yuh
And I really love it and understand
And I honestly believe
Auntie Marcia would be glad
Tek care Mattie gal
I will do as you seh
I will live and laugh and love
The Auntie Marcia way
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Remembering my Sister, Marcia
What makes a person beautiful? Is it just appearance or perfection of features and physical form? Perhaps there is a deeper beauty that comes from within, shining like a beacon that illuminates everyone in contact. This beauty is the glory of wisdom and courage, the power of inner strength and fortitude, the calmness of serenity and focus. This beauty comes from having faced life’s biggest challenges and overcoming them. This beauty comes from having known life’s greatest suffering and rising above them.
My sister was the definition of beautiful and more. Marcia was a beautiful person. She had beautiful features and a deep inner beauty rarely seen in others. When our mother (Aunt Vie) brought home Marcia Sharone Gordon from the hospital she was so beautiful and very cute, sucking on one side of her lip. Everybody fell in love with this baby. She had a sweet and pleasant personality. She did not cry much. When she took her very first steps, I was there to watch her.
As Marcia grew older, she continued to suck on her lip so much so that one side of the lip was larger than the other side. We would put all sorts of smelly ointments and bitter solutions for her to stop. All Marcia did was to use her dress or blouse to wipe off the solutions and went back to sucking her lip. Our mother had three children (Etna, Marcia and Delroy) and we never quarrelled or fought. I was big sister to her and she always called me sister as we grew up together. Marcia was kind, generous, loving, courteous and gracious. I am humbled in having such a beautiful sister. She had the most beautiful and captivating smile. Marcia, there will never be enough love and gratitude to offer or a means to repay you but my heart will always be filled with joy of knowing you.
I remember in 2019 when Marcia came home to Jamaica for one of her yearly extended stays. She along with Kamarah, Maxine and Bunny coordinated a birthday party for me. The party was secretly executed with precision and to a T. It was not until the ninth hour that I became aware of some unusual activities taking place. I noticed my friends showing up, family members from both afar and near. Marcia coordinated the equipment for the afternoon party and managed the payments to the vendors. It was a beautiful afternoon and one that I will always remember with a smile. My sister, Marcia, made that awesome day, possible.
Marcia was a loving and caring Aunt to her 5 nieces and 2 nephews. She was especially close to Kamarah. You could say the two were joined at the hip. I had no fear that if anything should happen to me, Marcia would take over and raise Kamarah as her own. I cannot believe that today I would be paying tribute to my younger sibling. You see, my sister was 14 years younger than me and I always thought that Marcia would be the one to bury me. She was a responsible person and law abiding. I never thought that she would be gone so soon.
Whenever we spoke, we would always end our conversation with… Alright Marcia, love you and she would say …Yes Sister, love you. Today, her voice is still. So, I say to you for the last time – I love you, Marcia.
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