THE LAST GOODBYE By Gaetana Drake Today I attended the funeral mass for Rita Alexandra Elias. Ms. Elias is the young woman who was shot by an off-duty Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Detective on September 24th. I have been to many funerals and they have all been very sad. However, the funerals I have attended before today were for elderly people who lived a long, fulfilling life. Today’s funeral was for a young woman cut down in the prime of her life. No parent should have to bury a child, no matter how old that child may be. As with any funeral service there were moments of laughter along with the tears. Rita’s younger sister Pamela spoke of Rita’s spontaneous laughter that could be heard all the way down the street. Rita’s daughters, Angelina, Naomi and Evonne stood at the front of the church, embraced by their aunts and sang “You Are My Sunshine” for their mother, and received a round of applause through the tears. A family friend spoke of Rita’s “kindness, consideration and generosity”. At the end of the church service, a slide show was displayed that showed Rita at her baptism, as a very young toddler with her parents, as a child with her brothers and sisters, and as a young woman with her own children. Tragically, there will never be any pictures of her growing older, pictures of her with her grown daughters, or pictures of her with her grandchildren. Rita and her family have been robbed of all this. Rita was laid to rest at Pioneer Cemetery on Scenic Drive. After a brief service at the cemetery, the casket was briefly opened and family members placed roses inside. Rita’s daughters gave her one last kiss. Her sisters and brothers touched her hair, caressed her cheek and cried once again. Her father was the last to gaze upon her face before the casket was closed a final time. After it was lowered into the ground, many mourners sprinkled a handful of dirt on top of the casket. Throughout the morning I wondered what Detective Kari Abbey was doing. Did she enjoy the nice weather this week-end? Did she take her children to school today? Did she go to church with her family and fix them a nice dinner on Sunday? These are all mundane things that we all do, seldom realizing that our lives may be cut short and we will never do these things again. Rita’s daughters, her brothers and sisters, her parents, and all of her family and friends will never get to do these things with her again. So much has been taken from them for no reason. Pamela Elias would like to thank everyone who came to the car washes and the protest. The family appreciates everything that has been done for them and the support shown by the community. Obituary of Rita Alexandra Elias Rita was born in Stockton, California, November 4, 1978 to the union of her parents, Luis and Margarita Elias. She enjoyed playing basketball, writing and drawing. Rita is preceded in death by her Grandfather, Antonio Vargas. She passed away in Modesto on September 24, 2010. She was 31 years old. Rita leaves to mourn her passing her daughters; Angelina, Naomi and Evonne, her parents; Luis and Margarita, her brothers; Burton and Michael, her sisters; Pamela and Juniore, her grandmother Christina Vargas and a host of other loving family and friends. Rita will be truly missed by all who knew and loved her. In Loving Memory of; Rita Alexandra Elias Sunrise: November, 4, 1978 Sunset: September 24, 2010 |
