Aurelia Joseph Barabino 1913-2011

On Thursday, July 21 I wrote the following message to my email group who had read my and my mother's escapades: My Ma...Is dying. She is at home peacefully sleeping away. It will not be very long. She is 97 and has had a glorious run. The best of me is directly apportioned to her. She is the last of the old ones in our family. All of her brothers, cousins, and peers have died. She lived to hold and catch great great grandchildren. Ma's greatest gift to me is the love of reading. For that alone I shall be forever grateful.

My highest compliment to her has always been that I would have selected her to be my friend. I selfishly wished she would live to be 100. She being the independent force of nature she is decided to leave us before another winter. Aurelia Joseph Barabino is going to go and live with my father in my heart forever.

On Saturday, July 23 Ma died. I wrote this to my close friends: Thank for all of your prayers and offers of condolences. Ma died peacefully in her sleep today. Her funeral will be in New Orleans.

I am grateful to each of you for being a part of my support system. It did me a great deal of good to simply read your posts and argue politics. I did the best I could by her. I got a chance to say goodbye and to tell her it was okay to leave us. I am hoping that I have her skin genes ( she has silky skin even at 97) and her longevity. Actually, I pray for good health and longevity for you each you and your families too.

Her obituary read as follows: BARABINO Aurelia Joseph Barabino passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 23, 2011 at the age of 97, surrounded by family in Boston, MA. Daughter of the late Joe Joseph and Amanda Narcisse. She was the beloved wife of the late Maurice Joseph Barabino. Mother of Warren Williams (Anita Dillon), Cynthia B. Jenkins, Venessa B. Rosemond (Peter), Dorothy B. Bennett (Larry), Deborah L. Barabino, Antoinette R. Blackston (Louis), and the late Lorraine B. Ledet and mother-in-law of the late Royal A. Jenkins, Jr. Loving grandmother of Thyra Ferguson (Larry), Michelle Laymon, Daniel Ledet, Sharrell Taylor, Royal Jenkins, III (Kamara), Kimberly R. Jenkins, Demonde Bennett, Maurice Jenkins, Leslie Bennett, Derreck Bennett, Carlos Renfroe, Michael Renfroe, Joel Hamlin, L'Jour Blackston, Lance Blackston, Landon Blackston, Zoe Rosemond and the late Dwayne Williams (Anita). To cherish her memory she leaves 16 great grandchildren, three great-great grandchildren and a host of other family and friends. Relatives and friends of the family, including the Pastors, Officers and Members of Living Water Baptist Church, House of Healing Outreach Church, Old Zion Missionary Baptist Church and all neighboring churches are invited to attend Homegoing Services at Living Water Baptist Church, 2104 Elysian Fields Avenue, New Orleans, LA, at 10: 00 a.m. on Saturday, August 6, 2011. Visitation will begin at 9:00 a.m. Reverend Kenneth McDowell, Officiating. Interment will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions to Kit Clark Senior Services, Inc., Development, 66 Canal Street, Boston, MA 02114 or online at

Finally, here is a picture of my Ma Aurelia Joseph Barabino