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William Gomes Obituary
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Memories and Condolences
for William Gomes
CARLISLE GOMES
March 29, 2004
Thoughts & memories of Uncle Willie
I thought I would share these thoughts here in the guestbook after reading all the beautiful sentiments & memories shared by so many wonderful people. Bishop Willie Gomes was my uncle, my father's brother. I would like to thank all the people for sharing their thoughts & wishes on this website.
As a child I always remember Uncle Willie’s stories & anecdotes that usually kept his audience in fits of laughter. We used to gather around him to listen to his discussions & wonderful stories of life.
His stories always taught us something & we all grew in his presence & took away lessons that have remained with us to this day. Uncle Willie did not only teach with stories, he also taught with actions. Most notably, he taught us the power of positive thinking through yoga & the use of meditation. As a child, sitting in one spot calmly & thinking calm thoughts is not an easy thing to achieve but Uncle Willie taught us how to do it! In fact this is something that he taught to a number of people who enjoyed the new found strength through his techniques. Personally, I can proudly say that due to Uncle Willie’s yoga teachings I was able to impress a lot of people with my ability to do a headstand!!
Which brings me to Uncle Willie’s sense of humor. He always had a positive outlook on life. Whenever he visited Canada, relatives & friends surrounded him to hear his anecdotes. His quick wit & firm religious beliefs drew people to him. I am so glad that he published his books & audiotapes because it is something that we can all treasure, now more than ever.
He visited us in Pakistan a couple of times & we also visited India & met up with him there on even more occasions. It was always a good time with Uncle Willie around. We would attend Mass either at the church or a somewhat informal setting with Mass right in the home. I used to be the altar boy for the small masses in the home & I knew I had to be reminded what to do next by U. Willie! Once Mass was over we children often got a special blessing form U. Willie. Then the family usually settled down for an evening of entertainment.
Sometimes U.Willie & my father would go for an evening walk. Uncle Willie believed very strongly in the strength of mind, body & soul. The 2 brothers would go for a very brisk walk & return refreshed. I have to add here, that I must have inherited this “brisk walking” gene from them!!
The “entertainment” usually had to start with “Happy Hour”! So there we were, each with a drink of some kind, listening & participating in the discussions. What I recall quite vividly is how the bishop would talk about the day’s readings & ask us kids if we had questions. It was easy to understand U. Willie’s answers, as he would speak to the kids in a way that made it easy to follow.
Uncle played in big part in our lives. I know that he played a big part in people’s lives in India, New Hampshire & Arizona and many, many places that he visited. Uncle Willie, we love you & we are missing you already. But I know that although you are gone, you are alive in spirit in all of us who knew you & loved you.
[From Carlisle Gomes]
patricia ciferri
March 19, 2004
I LIVED IN THE PHX AZ AREA FOR 25 YRS, AND I HAD THE PLEASURE MEETING THIS FINE MAN. IM DEEPLY SADDENED WITH HIS PASSING. MAY HE REST IN PEACE. PATRICIA CIFERRI
Terence Freitas
March 16, 2004
We were deeply saddened to hear the news of Uncle Willie last week. Uncle Willie baptized me as a newly ordained priest and later baptized my son Terry. He often stayed with our family when in Toronto and was a great inspiration to all of us. In addition to his religious duties, he believed in regular excercise, showed a keen interest in people and always kept busy whether it was visiting friends, reading, lecturing or travelling. He had a positive attitude and touched many lives. Uncle Willie lived his life to the fullest and will always be remembered especially in our prayers. May he rest in eternal peace and happiness.
Terence, Terry Jr. and Caroline Freitas
Yvonne Pallini
March 16, 2004
It was such a previlege and a blessing to have know Bishop Gomes. Aside from his holiness, his marvelous sense of humor, his showmanship, his remarkable intelligence and his open friendly ways, one of my favorite memories I have of him, is the Bishop in his very popular Yoga Tecnique classes.
I can still picture him standing in front of the class, performing "the tree" and telling the class, "how can anybody be thinking of problems when they are concentrating on holding this position". He made us laugh. He also taught us how to meditate. He was so very extraordinary.
He must be "wowing" them in Heaven. Yvonne Pallini (Cave Creek AZ)
Renee and Jim Staenglen
March 12, 2004
Dearest Bishop:
Our hearts are broken. You have been such a special person in ours lives. We are so thankful to have had you with us for as long as we have. Thank you for being there through good and bad, happy and sad, every important event. We will miss you and our lunches. Thank you for never being critical and always being kind, gentle and forgiving and teaching us to be the same. With broken hearts,
Renee, Jim, Bradley and Victoria
dorothy and Annette Ward
March 12, 2004
My family has alot of great memories of the wonderful bishop! When we were living in northeast phoenix and attending St. Joan Of Arc, we would see the loving bishop do is masses. Then, during the week {when he had the time,} he would take a walk in paradise valley mall almost every day back about 10 years ago! My father, { who has since passed away himself,} and the loving bishop would walk the mall togather almost every single day! Because of that, he got a chance to get to know us! I always have looked forward to his masses! His masses were one of my favorites to attend in phoenix! The last time that I got a chance to see him, was at rosary sunday about a year and a half ago. The last time I got a chance to talk to him, was on the elevator going to the parking garage downstairs from the convention center! After not seeing my mother and I for about 3 years prior, he recognized us. The bishop has met soo many people throughout his life, that a very remarkable thing about him, is that he never forgot a face! I was surprised and happy that he recognized us when he saw us there! He was a very special man, and he is going to be sadly missed!
Valerie Silveira
March 11, 2004
My earliest memory of Uncle Willie is on our holidays at Sandspit in Karachi. It was such a thrill for us children to hear him say Mass for us at the beach. Through the years Uncle Willie has managed to keep in touch with us all and willingly officiated at many important events in our family - the happy ones and sad ones too - for which we are so grateful.
Uncle Willie, we will miss your keen sense of humour and wisdom. Your enthusiasm and zest for life remains an inspiration for us all.
May God grant you the eternal rest you so deserve.
Valerie, Erika & Kristen Silveira
Venetia D'Souza
March 11, 2004
Dearest Uncle Willie:
You will be greatly missed for you enriched our lives with humor, love and understanding. Your warmth and charm was always present along with your compassion and wisdom. We learnt so much from you especially how to laugh and appreciate life. You taught us the serenity of perfoming Yoga and how to tap into our spirituality. You shared our good times, communions, weddings, christenings and other celebrations and also consoled us during our sad losses. Through it all, you were such a role model to all of us and your goodness permeated all our lives. We love you and will always cherish knowing how fortunate we were to be touched by you. We know that you will always be there for us and that you are still blessing us from above. Love from Venetia, Richard, Russell, Adrian, and Alicia.
Gregory Lawrence Jr.
March 11, 2004
Thanks for being part of the Knights of Columbus. You will be Surely missed.
Rosalie Raptosh
March 11, 2004
Dear Bishop, the Catholic Church has suffered a great loss with your passing. We at St Joan of Arc will feel your absence very much since you were part of our spiritual lives for many years. Thank you for sharing your wisdom and humor with us and may you be at peace with our Heavenly Father.
Marylu Fernandez
March 11, 2004
Dear Bishop,
This evening we attended the Rosary and viewing in your honor.On the faces of the visitors in the long procession I saw tears of sadness,reverance, and loss in your passing...You have left an indelible, permanant memory to all the lives you have touched! your geat sense of humor, intelligence and dignity will be missed greatly. How fortunate my family was to have had you in our lives for so many years.What an enchanting celebrity you were at our table as our guest!Always laughter,and great stories told with your dynamic personality!I shall be ever grateful that even in grave illness, you were gracious & without hesitation to give the lovely Funeral service for my dearest Mother, your devoted friend, this year. Thank you for your Blessings, generosity of time, mind and spirit and pray you continue to smile on us in the company of Jesus and Blessed Mother in Heaven...Our love,as always, Marylu, & Sam Fernandez, and family
Richard & Florence Lawrence
March 10, 2004
We were so sad to hear of Uncle Willie's death. He has been an inspiration to all. We were so fortunate to have him marry us and later preside over the children's First Holy Communion and Confirmation. He will be remembered for his zest of life and his books and tapes. His fluency in so many languages endeared him to all. Uncle Willie we know the Almighty has welcomed you into His heavenly abode, where you are resting in peace.
Richard, Flo, Charlene and Melanie
Sr. Marcia Mary Polchlopek, C.S.S.F.
March 10, 2004
My dear friend, Bishop Gomes,
I am grateful to our Lord for having blessed my life with the gift of your loving friendship. You were my favorite Professor at Notre Dame College in Manchester, N.H. where you taught Comparative Religions. Your humble, holy, gentle, compassionate, & generous spirit will forever be remembered in my heart.
I am happy we were able to keep in touch with one another over these many years & will miss our annual visits when you were back in Manchester assisting with Confirmations or celebrating a Wedding. I'll always remember you making time available to me & the joy you brought to the 5th graders when we visited St. Casimir's School & shared your wise & humorous stories with Sr. Antonia's class.
Our quick trip to visit Enfield with our elderly & infirmed Srs. was both a privilege & a pleasure for all of us.
In closing, I want to express my deepest sympathy to your family in Scottsdale, Ann Marie, Julie, & Amy. Thank you for the love & care you all shared together. Be assured we now have a strong Intercessor already in Heaven for us.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, & let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in Your eternal peace.
My love & prayers,
Sr. Marcia Mary
Sydney Freitas
March 9, 2004
Bishop Willie's active life was an inspiration to all of us. He kept in touch with all his relatives and friends through the years. It was good to meet him on his trips to Toronto and we will miss those. We are sure his earthly ministry will be rewarded with eternal bliss.
Sydney, Celine, Sid Jr. and Michelle
Isis Alvarado
March 9, 2004
Dear Bishop Gomes,"Your Exellency", We will miss you, and thank God for for bringing you into our lives in 1983 at Blessed Sacrament Church. We will always ponder in our hearts the times spent with you. Your love for our Lord, and our Blessed Mother, your sense of humor, wisdom and joy. We will also cherish your recipes for Chicken Curry and Basmati rice. You touched our family in many ways remember us when you get to your heavenly mansion and intercede for us. Love, Bert and Isis Alvarado
David Pesavento
March 9, 2004
Dearest Bishop Gomes..
You have helped me so much through all of the recent emotional pain that I been subjected to,and have showed me how important a spiritual life style is.
You are greatly missed..
Your always in my thoughts and prayers...
Love David
Kathy & Paul Flores
March 9, 2004
Our deepest sympathy goes out to the Corriveau Family. We had the privelege of meeting Bishop Gomes & he just told the best stories! He will definitely be missed. May he rest in peace.
RITA LOBO
March 9, 2004
Dear Uncle Willie:
We were very sad to hear that our dear uncle Willie has passed away. We know he will be looking down at us from heaven. May his soul rest in peace. Loving you always. Rita John and Andrea
Robert DeChance
March 8, 2004
We have lost a truly deicated and holy man, Bishop Gomes.I truly enjoyed the time I spent with him and he will be remembered in my prayers, always.
Tony and Mavis Silveira
March 8, 2004
Dearest Uncle Willie:
We were indeed extremely saddened and heartbroken to hear of your passing but we know that you are resting in the loving arms of Jesus and Mary. You were such an inspiration to all of us. You will always be lovingly remembered for your charming personality and the ability to share a joke or two at the most opportune time. May God grant you eternal rest.
Andrea Kever
March 8, 2004
Bishop Gomes was a great soul, a true Mahatma. He will be missed but at least we have another angel looking over us. I was able to spend time with him on a few occasions where we had coffee together. This was an honor for me to be in the presence of such a good, holy man. There is one Supreme Controller, Who is the Inner Self of all beings. He projects Himself outward, creating infinity from the One. Everlasting joy comes to those wise beings who perceive this great Being within themselves.
Paul Schildgen
March 8, 2004
Bishop Gomes, you were a person, who if only touching one's life for a few minutes will be remembered all of our lives.Thank you for your presence.
Paul
Mike Kingman
March 8, 2004
We will remember Sir William fondly and will miss him at all future K of C functions, but his presence will be with us in spirit. His sense of humor and experiences were a joy to listen too. Our prayers and thoughts are with all his extended families.
Gloria & Patrick Lee
March 8, 2004
Bishop Gomes was a blessing to all who knew him. WE will miss him dearly! We were so thankful to have him marry us. We will carry the wonderful memories we shared with him always. The 30 years we knew him he taught us so much and shared so many wonderful stories. May God rest his beautiful soul...We love you dear Bishop and will carry your message to all.
Laurie Kalff
March 8, 2004
Bishop Gomes,
You will be sorely missed by many. You touched my family's life in countless ways with your warmth, love, and giving heart. We are eternally grateful for your presence in our lives. Please pray for us in your heavenly home with the Lord and may God console all of those mourning the loss of your presence.
With love,
Laurie Kalff & Alvarado Family
Blossom Lobo
March 7, 2004
I knew Uncle Bhisop as a warm,loving and humorous man. I remember all the special moments that we shared, when he came to visit us in Goa. I really enjoyed his warmth and good sense of humour.
He will be sorely missed.
May his soul rest in peace.
Anthony Simek
March 7, 2004
Bless you Bishop Gomes. Your passing is our loss, but your spirit lives on.
Nancy & David Zazzera
March 7, 2004
Our family is deeply sadden to hear about our wonderful Bishop leaving us, but we rejoice in the fact that he is now with our loving Lord! We were so very blessed to have had Bishop Gomes in our lives and can never thank him enough for all the love, care and prayers he has given our family. The memories of him and all he has taught us will live on forever with us. We miss having lunch with him with and our best friends Jim & Renee Staenglen. Those were the best times, and Bishop had a way of getting me to try new foods(from India),plus the stories of his travels and pictures were always exciting to us all!
Our love and Prayers to Malcolm and all his family. God's Blessings to all.
Love always,
The Zazzera Family
Tim Heuer
March 7, 2004
I have know Bishop Gomes all my life and was a large part of my Catholic upbringing while growing up at St. Joan of Arc. He is a loving man with a kind heart and great sense of humor. He will certainly be missed.
Gerry & Carol Fjetland
March 7, 2004
Sir William was a special friend to the Knights of Columbus and pro-life Catholics everywhere. He will be sorely missed.
Jack & Sandee Crosson
March 7, 2004
Words cannot express how we feel about the loss of Bishop Gomes. Upon meeting him you knew instantly this was a true man of God who made you his immediate friend. We will always treasure his warmness, sense of humor, and devotion to the Catholic Church.
We express our deepest sympathy to the Corriveau family who took him under their loving wing. As a brother Knight of Columbus he will always be remembered as Sir William and how he lit up any function when he was among us. We are comforted that he is now with our heavenly Father and we can pray to him when we need that special little favor. May God keep you and let your light shine upon us all.
Marilyn Greene
March 7, 2004
I am so very sorry to hear about Bishop Gomes. He was such a great person, and had a wonderful sense of humor. He added so much to the parish of St. Joan of Arc, and will be missed by all.
Cordelle Cote,BVM
March 7, 2004
I remember the Bishop's visit to the KINO Library where I was working
I remember, too, enjoying Indian food at the restaurant with him.
May he rest in peace.
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