Lyzel, a natural-born servant leader

Lyzel Cummings died February 3, 2024. Her Funeral Mass was celebrated February 9. The following is an edited version of the eulogy delivered by close friend, Alicia Hoyte.

Lyzel Melina Cummings was born to Joe Frederick and Pearl Cummings on New Year’s Eve, 1969, making her officially our big sister, by at least four months. She lived with her mother in Arima all her life, and they looked after each other.

Lyzel learned love, laughter, generosity, and service with her mother. She was also blessed with the doting attention of her bigger sister, Gertrude, who preceded her in death, in April 2021. Today Lyzel is survived by her beautiful niece, Alicia, and her great niece, Adalea.

Ms Cummings attended Arima Girls’ RC School, then to Arima Central Secondary and finally onto Arima Senior Comprehensive (Arima North), for Form 6.

Some of her neighbours, friends and teachers then are amongst the parents of our own friends today, and they shared these thoughts about our Lyzel….

As a little girl in Arima, Mummy de Leon recalled that she was known as “always polite and pleasant”, “quiet and shy”, “the little girl who loved to read”, “who always said good morning with a smile”.

Another recalled that “when she was about 8 or 9, she would go with her mother to Auntie Babsie’s prayer meeting at the Word of Life community on Green Street.”

Natalie Reyes and her mother recall that, when they lived near to Lyzel and her mom on Broadway, Lyzel would usually play teacher, either teaching the plants, or playing teacher with the older children in the area.

Natalie says they would know what went on in school that day, because she would act it out when she got home. Her love of learning and teaching began very early, it seems.

Mummy Timothy shared this: many years ago, a young woman, quietly and respectfully graced the corridors  and classrooms of the Arima Senior  Comprehensive  School  as a sixth former. She was always neat and tidy with a bandeau in her hair.

Meeting Lyzel again years later, with the  young people  of People of Praise (POP), I remember  her very quietly  and efficiently packing snack boxes at my home,  to take to POP’s concert.

She was so quiet I forgot she was in my verandah. I was Mrs Timothy  to her then. Then, when her mother was ill, I saw the strength  in her, visiting and praying  with her. I saw a young girl with great responsibility become a resilient  woman.

When her mum passed away, there were many Sundays after Mass or sometimes during Mass, when I would hold her while she wept. By this time, I had become Aunty Andrea. She would open her arms wide for a hug and then pretend to be fainting.

She shared one day that she wanted to have a house of her own; she never got it, but our Merciful Father has given to her that house, that mansion that He has promised all  of us. Rest in Peace, Lyzel.

We would come to know Lyzel when she joined POP community in her late teens. She entered quietly, maybe even meekly, but she became a force to be reckoned with in no time.

Lauren remembered how Lyzel welcomed her into the community, and always remembered and greeted her with warmth. Constance, who couldn’t be here today, remembers “just having you there when I was going through my hard time, was enough to help me. We laughed so much. Your natural joy was contagious. It helped me to heal.” She would personalise her encounter with each person, remembering birthdays, special moments.

Our community moderator, Brother Winston Garcia, recalled that Lyzel was “a Soldier faithful to the Lord” who served at the highest level. First on the POP Service Team and then on the Council of Elders, the advisory body for the community.

She also went to Augusta, Georgia with Brother Winston to observe the Alleluia Community and help POP set up its Covenant Community using their model, which I believe we still have today. Brother Winston asks of us to please “let her life and death remind us of how serious the journey is”.

More recently, she had also blazed a trail in her home parish of Santa Rosa RC. She served as secretary for the Parish Council for a few years. For the past five years, right up until her passing, she also was Head of Lectors and Mass Hosts, and, in that role, she would assist with all liturgical ceremonies.

To her friends and acquaintances, she gave good counsel, scolded in the quietest of ways, and would always be ready to celebrate or console with you. There were many over the years who could call Lyzel dear friend, including Arlene Qunin, Nigel Noel, Natasha Caldon, Rachel and LeslieAnn Ogiste.

To our own little circle of women, she would become a gracious and sisterly presence with her sweet, dimpled smile, mischievous side-eye and soft voice, wicked fashion sense and a heart for worship.

Led by the Spirit of God, we gradually gravitated toward each other and grew from acquaintances to peers, to girlfriends, to sisters. Kevin Downes included. What we had in common was desire for relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord, and for life in His Holy Spirit.

Maybe it’s a surprise to some, but not to us, that this woman who was so diligent and caring in her professional life, was equally so in her community and personal life.

Through the nights of prayer this past week, we would have heard strikingly similar stories of her leadership, gentle reprimands, mischievous, bubbly presence, and humble pursuit of excellence. Was she perfect or superhuman? No, she was just maybe more aware than most of the power of love in action. Lyzel was a natural-born servant leader. Her strength came from her faith in her Lord, and the example of love she was shown by her mother.

She took who she was and what she had received in life, good and bad, and offered it back to God, making of her life a fragrant offering of charitable, gracious works.

And so, Principal Cummings, Auntie Lyzel, Lyzymel, Cummings and Goings, Dimples, the depth of our sorrow is only surpassed by the height of our gratitude for having known you and loved you so purely.

Thank you for sharing yourself with us. Rest in peace.