Cecilia Jones
Three biographical sketches
Done for small groups during pandemic
1. Cecilia Danced through Life with Joy
It’s not the length of the journey or the challenges you face but the way you face what you encounter. Cecilia danced through life and she was a joyous spirit. She practiced well the art of living.
She is remembered for her wonderful sweet smile. She never said a lot, but everything she said was kind and gracious. She had an aura of goodness about her. Still waters, as they say, ran deep within her.
Cecilia and Kathy, of course, enjoyed a wonderful dance together for all of Kathy’s life. But for many years she and Len also had a close relationship. She was a wonderful companion for her retired son-in-law, generously laughing at his jokes, as we all do, sharing stories and offering a sympathetic ear. As they discovered, the two had a childhood history in common.
Both Cecilia and Len grew up in the strict religious community of Zion, Ill, where I’m sure dancing was not allowed. Each experienced the hypocrisy that resulted from the strict fundamentalism which produced in both of them a skepticism of organized religion.
After high school, Cecilia became well acquainted with the world outside of Zion society. She was able to pursue her love of ballet, tap, and modern dance. This led to a year on the road with a dance troupe of young ladies who performed throughout the U.S. This was probably one the happiest and most exciting years of her life, and she recalled it fondly to her only child, Kathy.
CeeCee, as Cecilia was sometimes known, was married to Leonard Dillon Crawford for 17 years and divorced in 1970. Early in their marriage they moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Cecilia loved the mountains, dry climate and traveling throughout Arizona and California. In the early 1960s they returned to Waukegan, Illinois, to be closer to their aging parents since both were the youngest siblings of sizable families.
Cecilia was also a hard working mom most of her life, in addition to being a good cook, housekeeper, and best friend to her daughter. She was extremely generous with her time and her heart.
To dance through life is to have freedom. Cecilia valued her freedom. She did not want to be told what to do or what to think.
For her part, Cecilia developed a profound sense of faith in the essential spiritual goodness and interconnectedness of human beings and of the universe itself. This philosophy manifested in her benign and compassionate attitude toward people and, especially, animals. This also produced a rare and wonderful sense of optimism toward the future.
Perhaps that’s one reason why she had an affinity for those in the animal realm. She loved to care for everyone’s pets so their owners knew they were in loving hands.
She was of course happy to be the “grandmother” of many family dogs, and also delighted in being step-grandmother to Eve Smith of Chicago and step-great-grandmother to Eve and her husband Matthew’s sons James and Danny Grabowitz.
Cecilia believed in the soul’s immortality and in reincarnation, so Buddhism had a natural appeal for Kathy.
In this period shortly after her passing, we send Cecilia a sincere wish to have a peaceful passage through the bardo, the afterlife between death and rebirth, and to find a good rebirth, one that can continue to bring joy to the world and to help all of us who are in such need of help as we make our way through these turbulent times.
2. Cecilia, the Sky of Love and Compassion
Cecilia had a kind and compassionate heart. She gave of herself whenever she could. She had a quiet, kind presence, a ready smile. One of the many meanings of the name Cecilia is “the one of the shining light.” She would come out, greet you with her joy and her light, and then she would politely decline our invitation to join us for dinner or whatever and go back to her beloved TV shows.
Cecilia had a special relationship with animals of all sorts. In this respect, she reminds me of St. Francis of Assisi, who also had an affinity for members of the animal kingdom, and who wrote,
“…it is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.”
She was always willing to care for others’ pets when they went on vacation. When they were gone, they could relax knowing that their dog or cat was in loving hands.
Cecilia embodied the Bodhisattva, the one who is committed to the caring and welfare of others, even more than themselves. She helped take care of her own parents for many years at their Gages Lake home. And after that, she very faithfully visited them in nursing homes as they aged.
When Len’s mother Mary was dying of cancer, during the final weeks of her life, Cecilia volunteered to live with and care for her. She was a real humanitarian—a word you don’t hear often enough these days—someone who knew the value of human presence and empathy.
After her parents divorced, Kathy and Cecilia became even closer in their relationship – the best of friends. To have a parent not only as your guide but one of your closest companions is a very special blessing.
And she was a companion to Len. The two discovered that they shared a common history; they both grew up in the strict religious community of Zion IL. Each developed a skepticism of organized religion. But each became committed to serving others in their own way, too. For so many years the three of them shared a life in this lovely home. And I’m sure Len and Kathy will always treasure every moment they cared for her and she for them.
To be quiet, contemplative, to have a joyous smile and a kind word and thoughtful of others; I dare say she would have been a good Buddhist if she wanted to put a label on her approach to the art of living. But it’s not what you call yourself or what approach you follow but the caring and love you show to others that counts.
Cecilia was of course happy to be the “grandmother” of many family dogs, and also delighted in being step-grandmother to Eve Smith of Chicago and step-great-grandmother to Erin and her husband Michael’s sons James and Danny Grabowitz.
3. Cecilia Was the Spirit of the House
In China, Thailand, Russia, and many other cultures it is believed that there is a spirit of the house. The spirit nurtures the house and looks after members of the household. This was Cecilia, without a doubt.
When I saw Cecilia, when she came out to greet my wife and I, she always had a smile on her face. She radiated joy. One of the many meanings of the name Cecilia is “the one of the shining light.” She would come out, greet you with her joy and her light, and then she would politely decline our invitation to join us for dinner or Tony Bennett or games and go back to her beloved TV shows and, most of all, her thoughts. Her spirit.
She looked after Len closely; though it might have seemed like he was taking her out to lunch, there is a good question about who was taking care of whom. As her health and sight were declining, she remained a wonderful companion to her retired son-in-law, generously laughing at his jokes, as we all do, sharing stories and offering a sympathetic ear. As they discovered, the two had a childhood history in common.
She grew up, like Len, in the strict religious community of Zion, Ill. Their early connection to the town and the religion practiced there was formative. Each experienced the hypocrisy that resulted from the strict fundamentalism which produced in both of them a skepticism of organized religion.
After high school, Cecilia became well acquainted with the world outside of Zion society. She was able to pursue her love of ballet, tap, and modern dance. This led to a year on the road with a dance troupe of young ladies who performed throughout the U.S. This was probably one the happiest and most exciting years of her life, and she often recalled it fondly to her only child, Kathy.
CeeCee, as Cecilia was sometimes known, was married to Harold Donald Cranston for 17 years and divorced in 1970. Early in their marriage they moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Cecilia loved the mountains, dry climate and traveling throughout Arizona and California. In the early 1960s they returned to Waukegan, Illinois, to be closer to their aging parents. She took care of both her parents for many years and also took care of Len’s mother Mary.
Cecilia was a hard “working” mom most of her life, in addition to being a good cook, housekeeper, and best friend to her daughter. She was extremely generous with her time and her heart.
Cecilia lived out her profound sense of faith in the essential spiritual goodness and interconnectedness of human beings and of the universe itself. This philosophy manifested in her benign and compassionate attitude toward people and, especially, animals. This also produced a rare and wonderful sense of optimism toward the future.
Cecilia believed in the soul’s immortality and in reincarnation, so Buddhism had a natural appeal for Kathy.
She was of course happy to be the “grandmother” of many family dogs, and also delighted in being step-grandmother to Erin Philyaw of Chicago and step-great-grandmother to Erin and her husband Michael’s sons Liam and Dermot Grant.
In this period shortly after her passing, we send Cecilia a sincere wish to have a peaceful passage through the bardo, the afterlife between death and rebirth, and to find a good rebirth, one that can continue to bring joy to the world and to help all of us who are in such need of help as we make our way through these turbulent times.
She might very well like to come back as a Tibetan terrier. But we Buddhists believe the optimal rebirth is that of a human being who can learn and progress and help others. Whatever she works out with her guides and mentors I ask her to come back and help us as we go through our own journeys. Help us be a spirit for our own households, our neighorhoods, our communities.
I would like to close with a Buddhist dedication verse that I think Cecilia would have approved of and that she exemplified:
May I become an inexhaustible treasure
For those who are poor and destitute;
May I turn into all things they could need
And may these things be placed close beside them.
For as long as space endures
And as long as living beings remain
Until then, may I too, abide
To dispel the misery of the world.
