Today, April 24th is my sister Yvonne Harriott’s birthday. She lost her struggle to cancer in 2016. Her passion was to be a writer, therefore at her funeral, I created her video tribute and Eulogy in the form of a novel. I decided to share her Eulogy with you today.
Yvonne Ruth Harriott: Her Story
(1st Addition)
Published by Red Shoe-Harriott press, copyright 2016
Chapter 1: The Day that Shook the World
The day that any human is born, something amazing happens. God divides and redistributed the finite earthly resources of water, air, light. We share in the providences of existence and love.
Yvonne was born April 24 1966 in Spanish Town Jamaica to the parents of Frederick and Eudora Louise Harriott, the third of five children: and is survived by 4 siblings, Andrew, Pauline, June and me (Israel – the loveable little brother). In sunny Jamaica she went to St Catherine Primary School in Spanish Town. She immigrated to Toronto Canada with her family in October of 1975 at the age of 9 years old.
Her education continued at a feeder school beside Fairmont Park PS. (My fact checker couldn’t figure out the name, by the way, I am the fact checker). At this time the family resided at Coxwell & Gerard in the east end of Toronto. In early 1976 we moved to a townhouse on Nonquon Rd. in Oshawa. She completed her elementary and secondary education respectively at Queen Elizabeth PS, Duke of Edinburgh PS, and Donovan CI High school. Yvonne then had a successful post-secondary experience at Durham College graduating in Business Administration.
Work Life
Yvonne was no stranger to responsibility. Did you know she was a Taco Queen? One of her first jobs was at Taco Bell, the one on Simcoe St. here in Oshawa. Also, our mother worked night shifts at factory, so when Yvonne got her license, she took over the job of driving her to work, and often June or I would go along for the ride. As Richard (my high school friend would discover, to his amazement), we were not an “early-to-bed family”.
Her first job was at Ernest & Young, a financial accounting firm, but it also specialized in producing other types of plastics and products. Pauline use to joke, whenever asked what she did by saying, “She was into explosives.” (Yvonne was not amused.)
Her most current position was at Advocis as a… At the funeral home we deliberated for a good five minutes trying to figure out what her job title was. (Even while writing this Eulogy, I had to go back and check.) We knew that she organized budgets and business educational certification.
To set the record straight, here is what her boss sent us…
Her title was Coordinator, Education Resources. She successfully handled all the administrative functions for the development of Advocis Education programs including its online Best Practices Manual. She helped ensure the success of the Annual Update by managing the facilitator coordination and gathering testimonials to help promote the value of the seminar each year (it consistently attracted close to 2 thousand financial advisors from across Canada).
Her colleagues admired her professionalism and positive attitude both punctuated with a beautiful smile and easy laugh. As you saw in the video tribute, it looks like they had some good parties.
Chapter 2: A Creative Romantic
Yvonne was a creative romantic at heart, “with an overactive imagination from an early age, Yvonne created vivid stories in her mind in which she was the lead character. It wasn’t long before she decided to take these stories from her mind and put them to paper. A romantic at heart, Yvonne writes primarily about relationships and loves a happy ending.”
Her short story, The Colour of Love won first prize in The Awaken the Mind Short Story Contest presented by Knowledge Book Store and Poetic Soul.
(I know that my wife Francine is grateful that I sat under her tutelage!)
Short stories and novels such as: The Wedding and Other Short Stories, The Invitation, Hide ‘N Seek, Cat ‘N Mouse, Hit ‘N Run, Divas In Danger Romantic collection, On the Wild Side and With Intent.
I went online and checked out a few of her reviews…
Reviews
“Love reading Yvonne’s books. I finished this one in 2 days, couldn’t put it down. I’ve read all Yvonne’s books and enjoyed them all. She’s the female equivalent of Walter Mosley/James Patterson. Wish she could get more books out, I love her style of writing”
“This book was everything I hope it to be coming from this author. Her suspenseful edge and twist that she puts in her books keeps you highly engaged to the point that you have to know what will happen next. This is definitely a book to get lost in.”
Dangerous love … “Nothing is better than a little danger, a little lust and a lot of love. If you like a thrill with your romance read, then check this author out!”
“The Wedding and Other Short Romantic Stories was a delightful book. I really can’t pick a favorite as they each had their own charm. The writing and editing for all the stories was excellent and the dialogue which formed the many and varied personalities was first-rate. Yvonne Harriott did an outstanding job in creating characters that continued to live on in my mind even after I finished each story. I really loved these stories and intend to read them again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants some love in their reading.”
Those are just a few!
Chapter 3: Her Qualities
Yvonne was Positive, Optimistic, and Inspiring. She had a Buoyant effervescent outlook and approach to life. If you were around her long enough you would be lifted up by her sparkle and champagne bubbles…
One of her colleagues’ quotes,
“I most admired her dreams of something bigger and her never ending positive attitude.”
She inspired her dear friends to live life to the fullest no matter what.
Yvonne had many admirable personal qualities. Style, Grace, Creativity, and Intelligence, to name a few…
Intelligence
Yvonne was smart, she possessed an intelligent, sharp mind. She read as often as she could, and persuaded others to do the same. One Christmas, I remember, she gave us siblings books on finance. (I wonder what she was trying to say… Kidding!)
She was no easy mark, but I manage the odd, rare occasion to pull a prank on her.
For example, when we’re living together in Scarborough, one night she got up to go to the bathroom; I snuck into her room and laid down on the floor. After about 5 minutes when she had settled back in bed, I jump up in the pitch dark. I’m not sure what I yelled, but I recall she yelled a few things that weren’t so Christian. I’m sure I shortened her life by about 10 minutes.
Style
Yvonne was a grand master of style and elegance. She was fashionable: she wore colourful scarves, a white winter coat (can you believe that? White!), she donned short hair, and was a voracious consumer of exquisite shoes, and hand bags. Her apartment had a red wall (long before I knew what an accent wall was), and everything articulately well matched: accents cushions, plants, paintings and statues. She rocked yellow plates (my mom bugged her about that all the time) on her glass table, with white fancy chairs covered in fabric.
At the same time, she believed that more was less. She did not over populate her space with a sea of trinkets and memorandums, as you will find in my parents’ home- yes mom I just said that.
I once tried to persuade her to write a book: Practical Chic – How to Design your Apartment like Designer (I think it would have done well.)
Self-Sustaining Independence
Yvonne had a strong Elis-like (mom’s maiden name) desire to make her own way and help those who depended on her. My mother called Yvonne her (quote… unquote) “right hand”.
She brought mom shopping for Christmas presents, Kensington Market to buy fish, doctor’s appointment and so forth. She did taxes for my dad and helped manage the paper work for his various tenancy issues and adventures. She provided for herself and her affairs even though she has left us.
She spent her life as a free spirit. She never got married, always self-reliant. Now I don’t know if that’s why she took a pass on marriage, (that’s another chapter for another time.) However, the late Sis Vita Belnavis (a wonderful elderly lady from Erie Street Gospel Centre) spent much time in prayer for a husband for her. I joked with Francine that she met Yvonne at heaven’s gate and said, “There’s a lovely young man I want you to meet, he’s from 1500 BC, but he doesn’t look a day older than 40…”
When her illness nickel and dimed her of her independence, and eventually bankrupt her of mobility, I know that it was a challenge to allow others to help her… it was, but through God’s grace she excelled in humility and appreciation.
Even through the illness she maintained her humour… At one of her radiation visits, we joked at how thick the doors were to the treatment room. She then added, “Those technicians run out room really quick, but they leave me in there.”
I comforted her with this thought, “You know Yvonne, with all this radiation you could turn into a super hero!”
Chapter 4: The Walk from Room 202
AKA: The day that shook our world
Tues March 29th, the day after Easter Monday, 7:45AM, our sister, our dear friend left us.
I call it “The Walk”, because at the time I was in the middle of giving my grade 10 history class a test on WW1, at Wexford Collegiate, (which by the way has been a wonderful resource of support). My principal asked me to step outside and walked me from my 2nd floor classroom to the staff room. By the time I got to the bottom of the stairs, I realized I wasn’t getting fired, Francine had come to tell me the news. Yvonne had died.
Yvonne Harriott passed away from mortality to immortality, from corruptible to incorruptible, and the sting of death was felt only by those she left, but not by Yvonne. There is no victory in the grave. She is safely in the hands and presence of God…
Not in Valhalla, or StoVoKor –although she was a tremendous warrior, not with Allah or Confucius, not with some mysterious unknowable force, but with Jehovah, God in three persons, Blessed Trinity. We mourn as those with hope…but miss her dearly…
What will we miss about her? What will I miss about her?
I’ll miss her presence. We may have gone weeks without seeing each other, but I always knew that she was there. Growing up with my sisters, we were a collection, a set, so there is an empty spot there…
I’ll miss her conversations. Whenever we spoke, it didn’t matter if it had been a while, we never skipped a beat. We talked about life, writing and anyone in the family who was driving her crazy.
I’ll miss her support. She was a reservoir of support. In her eyes I was her little brother who could do no wrong, and even if I did, she had the grace to overlook it.
Yvonne did not just take from this world, she gave. She gave us these life lessons to learn…
Be creative, relentlessly pursue dreams, embrace the fierce Ellis independence and the Harriott insuppressible stability.
From sickness she gave these lessons to be generous in grace and forgiveness; be lavish in the expression of gratitude to others…
Be thankful where you are, soon you may wish to be back at that same place you desired to be released from.
But we have not reached the final chapter.
Yvonne’s story is not over. Her story continues into eternity. Until we meet again.
We love you, Yvonne!
The Genesis Man Project 