Lorna Wade Funeral Mass Live Link

Lorna Joan Wade was born on May 13, 1947, in Amboli, Mumbai, India. Lorna was a woman known by many names. Her husband, Tony, lovingly called her Lorn. Her grandchildren, Julian, Jesica and Justin, called her Nana. She was known as the Joan of Arc, the Connie Francis of Bombay, and the Nightingale of Amboli. But whatever name you called her, one thing was always the same: Lorna loved deeply. For Lorna, God came first. Relationships mattered. People mattered. Family mattered. And anyone who knew her, felt that love. Everything Lorna touched seemed to turn to gold because she put her love and her whole heart into everything she did. Nobody could cook for Tony the way Lorna did. She crocheted, made candles, gardened, sang, painted, baked, kept a beautiful home, and even filled journals with her conversations with God. The list goes on.

But what Lorna did best was love.

Lorna was an amazing grandmother to Julian, Jesica and Justin. They were her life. And she loved her son-in-law, Diego, like her own son. In Lorna's eyes, he could do no wrong.

Lorna was a teacher. She taught English at Holy Family School in Mumbai and later at Open School, which provided education to children who had been unable to complete a formal education. Lorna was also a social worker. She taught children living on the streets of Mumbai at a school started by her best friend, Fr. Fred Sopena.

When Tony lost his job at Hindustan Lever, thanks to her brother Robin and his wife Teresa, Lorna moved to Dubai, where she secured a position at Citibank as a corporate banker. She later retired in Goa, where she continued her social work with an organization called BEBOOK. And every summer thereafter , Lorna travelled to Canada to help Vimla care for Julian, Jesica and Justin. She gave herself freely to her family, always finding a way to be there.

Lorna's faith was one of surrender and complete dependence on God. It was not simply something she believed—it was something she lived. That faith was passed down to her by her parents, Mary and Joseph Arthur. Lorna was the third eldest of eight children. Sadly, her brother Alwyn died at a young age. It seems almost no coincidence that Lorna’s parents were named Mary and Joseph. Like their biblical namesakes, they travelled from Mangalore to Mumbai with very little, but with great faith and dependence on God. They built their home with love, dignity and pride, always putting God first.

Lorna grew up surrounded by faith, music, art, learning, laughter and, most importantly, love. Lorna’s father Josie, read Scripture to his children and instilled in them a love of God's Word. Her mother gave her children a deep love for Mother Mary. The Arthur home in Amboli had a large family Bible in the living room and a beautiful painting of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, painted by Lorna's father, Josie. Faith was not simply something Lorna and her family talked about. It was how they lived. That was the home Lorna carried within her, and it became the legacy she passed on to Vimla and her children. And when her own mother suffered from Alzheimer's, Lorna cared for her with unwavering love and devotion. She gave back to her mother the same love and care that had shaped her own life.

Lorna inherited from her parents a deep trust in God, a love of family, resilience, joy and the ability to surrender when life became difficult. And she passed those gifts on to Vimla and to her grandchildren—not only through what she taught them, but through the way she lived. And that faith carried Vimla through the unimaginable loss of her oldest son, Julian.

Lorna suffered throughout her life with asthma, but she suffered well. Even in suffering, Lorna smiled. That smile became part of her witness. It reminded us that even in the most difficult moments, there can still be joy when we place our lives in God's hands.

Lorna’s husband Tony was her devoted caregiver for many years. He cared for her with extraordinary love, patience, and tenderness. He meticulously recorded her blood pressure readings, kept track of her medications and attended to countless little details that made her care possible. Tony made oatmeal porridge for Lorna that sustained her for the day, because he made it with love.

Watching Tony care for Lorna was one of the most beautiful testimonies to the love they shared. In the end, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's snatched away so much from Lorna. It took away her ability to speak, to sing, to walk and eventually to eat. But It could not take away her smile. It could not take away her laughter and her love. That smile said everything. It said, I am still here. It said, I know you are here. And perhaps most importantly, it said, “There is still love here.” Her words became fewer. But her faith never left her. And neither did her love.

Lorna's greatest inheritance was not anything material. It was a faith that knew how to surrender, a heart that knew how to love, and a life that always put God first. Lorna has left a void in our lives and we are grieving the loss of a legend but not without hope. We will see Lorna again.

She fought her good fight.

She finished her race.

She kept the faith.

And now, we trust that she has come home to the God she loved, trusted and surrendered her life to.

And perhaps, after a lifetime of giving so much of herself to all of us, Lorna is finally resting in the arms of the One she loved most Jesus.

Mom, Nana, Lorn, Lornaaaa, Lorni, Lornati, —your words may have become fewer, but you said everything through your smile.

And we will carry that smile, that love and that faith with us always.