LUCY MODRAK

Lucy Alexander Freeman Modrak (Age 85)  
Was given the gift of life on June 26, 1933 and, surrounded by her loving husband Joe and family, peacefully gave it back on Ash Wednesday, March 6, 2019, at the Adler Hospice Center in Aldie Virginia. Lucy (aka Rocky) gave the fight of her life till her very last breath after triumphing many battles over a 17-year period with three cancers and COPD. Lucy faced every set back with grace and grit, determined to be alive for the next wedding, birth, holiday and celebration. She loved a good time and never wanted to miss any gathering, so it should be no surprise that she decided to discard her tired, worn out body to free herself just as her family was toasting her at 5 p.m. Happy Hour in her honor. Now she will never miss another happy hour or celebration because she is free to be everywhere and anywhere, especially in the hearts of those who love her which are too many to count or name. Lucy in her last two years of illness was such an inspiration to so many people with her optimism, smile, big heart, good nature and great sense of humor and wit. The hospice team and infusion Center Staff were so wonderful to her and she made their day with her funny stories and bright cheery nature. She had a devoted following of friends and family and even strangers on her Facebook Page who cheered her to the very end. The last words she heard were read by her son from the hundreds of messages posted by people from all over the world wishing her love and healing as she transitioned into her next life. Lucy knew her life was limited so she lived her life to the fullest and even at the end as her body became weaker and her world became smaller her zest and love for life only seemed to expand. She found joy in redecorating her room with beautiful linens for her hospital bed and always commented on how happy and blessed she was. She found joy in the simplest of things and in giving to others. Her favorite happy place was Merryfield Gardens and whenever she felt good enough she would ask to go visit one or two and even three times a week. They had a little café where she would try to eat and visit with family and friends. The staff loved her because she took such delight looking for small gifts for her loved ones and her home. She even had a personal shopper Jennifer who worked there and loved her. Lucy believed in living in the moment and took the opportunity to share as many occasions with her large family especially in the last year of her life. There were many "I Love Lucy" gatherings and celebrations and she loved them all. For someone who always was a giver she gracefully learned to receive which meant the world to those of us she was leaving behind. In the end all we could give her was our love and gratitude that is all she could take when she left us. Her grandchildren lovingly called her "Nana Lucy". She remained a kid at heart throughout her entire life. For some, like Peter Pan, this is not necessarily a good attribute, but Lucy only kept the good qualities of youth. She had an optimistic and openness towards life that most of us outgrow early on. This young heart, uncluttered by bias and prejudice enabled her to reach out and connect with people of all different backgrounds and races as to Lucy we were all part of one big human family.  Lucy was not afraid of death and spoke openly about preparing for her next adventure. She planned everything for her time of death and the days to follow as if she was planning for an extended trip and helped make a very sad time for all of us a little easier. Her thoughtfulness and compassion for everyone remained constant to the end and is a beautiful gift she gave us all. Lucy lived her life in the end on her own terms. Lucy's greatest gift was to make everyone in her presence feel special and loved for who they are and she really was pure unconditional love. She did not judge, she encouraged everyone during hard times. All of her eight kids felt that they were her favorite and all of her friends felt that she was their best friend.  Lucy Alexander Freeman was born in Agusta, Georgia. She was affectionately called "Little Lucy" to her parents, Lucy Alexander Baxter and Hayden Breeze Freeman. She was the youngest of three and became a devout vegetarian and animal crusade activist after being told at the young age of three by her two siblings that she was eating her friend the cow and friend the chicken. Lucy's father was a Colonel in the marine corps and as a result she went to 17 grade schools and five high schools graduating from St. Genieveve of the Pines High School in Ashville, North Carolina. While many people would view moving around so much as difficult, Lucy was welcomed everywhere despite her shyness and this remained true for her entire life. Her parents retired to a small coastal town called Morehead City, North Carolina and that is where Lucy spent many happy days and when she had her family she took them for a month to the seashore giving her children the happiest memories of their childhood. Lucy was a direct descendent of Pocahontas and John Rolf on her mother's side and came from a family of Royalty and Educators. She was also a descendent of Alexander Spotswood who was the first Colonial governor of Willamsburg, Va in 1705. A book called the Alexander Letters was published that detailed the family tree as well as beautiful letters written between family members. Lucy grew up in the South as did her ancestors but from an early age she knew that all people were created equal and deserved love and respect. She did not have one prejudicial bone in her body and she engrained that into all her children. She never hesitated to speak up for civil rights and justice and in her final months she continued to fight for all people of color and religion. Lucy went to George Washington University where she met her first husband, John Thomas Skelly who was to become the father of her seven children. Lucy had many talents and gave up being a fashion and cartoon illustrator to take care of her children. During the early years the family did not always have a lot of money, but her kids never knew that. Lucy made beautiful clothes for them, went to the dime store on Christmas Eve to make sure there would always be presents under the tree. Lucy loved Christmas and made it special for everyone and did this all her life. For 50 years she has had people over for Christmas Eve who might not have family to be with. She knitted over 300 stockings for family and friends and when she was unable to knit anymore was so happy to learn that one of her family members was going to carry on the tradition. Later when her children were older she went to work as a real estate agent for Carr New Homes in Northern Virginia and won many awards for her outstanding sales record. Each person who came to look at a new home was so impressed with Lucy's honesty and authenticity that often they purchased a home on their first visit. Lucy lived in one of the homes for 25 years and because she had personally sold every home the entire community was her neighbor and she was known and loved by everyone. Lucy met the love of her life Joe Modrak 50 years ago in a small bar called "The Cave" He instantly fell in love with her frightened brown doe eyes looking in the mirror. Lucy's innocence, beauty and kindness stole his heart and the fact that she had seven children did not stop him from marrying her and taking on seven teenagers.  Lucy and Joe lived a wonderful life together and they shared much happiness as well as loss Lucy's youngest son, Joe Louis died in his sleep at the tender young age of 29 almost 28 years ago from Epilepsy. His death broke her heart but not her spirit and she fought hard to become happy again. She suffered from depression and even in the darkest of times she still was able to give hope and light to those who also suffered. Lucy and Joe bought a vacation home in Ships Watch in Duck North Carolina which they loved going to for over 30 years and ended up selling it when Lucy's health began to fail. They were part of a close group of eight great friends called the "European Planning Committee" who met once a month over great food and wine to discuss their new upcoming trip they took each year. These friends included her oldest and best friend Maureen Shea and husband Terry, Mary Jo and David Portch, Paul and Nancy Modrak. Lucy and Joe retired to the Heritage Hunt Community in Gainesville 17 years ago and chose the condominiums to live in. Lucy soon became the social director as well as paper girl delivering papers each morning to everyone's door. Her favorite past time was to play hand and foot card game and she did this every week and sometimes more. Lucy insisted on playing her last game the day before she died. There is a bench outside her bedroom window that was commerated in her honor. The inscription reads Lucy ( Rocky) You are always in our hearts. Your love and inspiration light our way. Lucy was an interesting person who loved watching Turkish soap operas, reading murder mysteries, doing crossroad puzzles, playing jeopardy and reading obituaries (She was fascinated by what families wrote about their loved ones and made us promise we would not write a boring one that basically said she lived, she died and the stuff in the middle did not really matter), She loved to post on her Facebook page about rescue animals and equality for all people. She was a night owl and usually was up at three each morning reading the newspaper and having her coffee. She had a framed sign that said "I've always liked the time before dawn because there's no one around to remind me of who I'm supposed to be. So it's easier to remember who I am" Lucy was a good writer and was able to write and publish her book about her dog willow. This was one of the goals she set for herself and it was a beautiful story about two beings who rescued each other. Willow came into her life after the death of her son and willow was found abused in a cat cage on the streets of D.C. While her life may not boast a long list of accomplishments or exciting adventures to those of us who were so blessed to have loved her and been loved by her - She is our Lucy in the sky with diamonds. She touched us in a way that there just are no words to ever express how special she is. She was beautiful inside and out and as someone once wrote" People may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel" There is a big hole in our hearts and the sky is less bright. She was the rose in the little prince and to us she was "unique in all the world" We love Lucy so much and we will do our best to make the world a better place just as she did and to shine our own lights brighter. Her beautiful life will be forever cherished by her husband Joe Modrak of 44 years and eight children Annee Martin, John Skelly Jr, Elizabeth Frances Skelly - Borgman, Patricia Grove Skelly, Christopher Skelly, Lucy Rita Maranda Brown, Judith Modrak and Joe Modrak Jr. and her 16 grandchildren Andrew, Thor, Patrick, Benjamin, Jamee, Eric, Maggie, Jessee, Louie, Colette, Max, Mariesa, Jonathan, Marah, Gretchen and Missy and five great-grandchildren, Lily, Dagny, Ava, Hayden and Trevor as well as Biko and Emi (Marah) and Gabe(Missy)  She also is cherished by her family's spouses, David Martin (Annee), Charlie Brown (Rita), Geneva (Joe Jr.) Mark (Judith) Dapper Dan (Mariesa) Hunter (Maggie), Rachel (Patrick), Lauren (Jessee), and ex-spouses, Cecelia, Maria, Luc and Don, Doug. Her sister-in-law, Mickey (Dean Freeman). She has many nephews and nieces from the Freeman Family. Mike, Steve, Chris, Phillip, Jan (her god child) and all of their children and too many to mention but all loved. Somehow she managed to stay in touch with them all. She is cherished by her sister-in-law, Nancy Modrak married to Joe's brother, Paul and all of the Modrak family and her beloved therapy dog, Gracee Blossom Joy. She was predeceased by her parents, Nanny and Breeze, her son, Joe Louis, her brother, Dean Freeman, her sister Ann Freeman, her four dogs George, Martha and Dolly and Willow.  Lucy donated her body to medical research at George Town and her ashes will be sprinkledin designated places including this July in Vermont with her son Joe Louis and in Gainesville near her beloved dog Willow. She has asked her daughter Annee to take her to many places around the world on her bucket list that she never made it too. A private celebration of life will be held in lieu of service on April 19, at her favorite local winery. Lucy has also asked that in lieu of flowers that donations be made to The Human Rescue Alliance - District of Columbia Animal Care and Control, 1201 New York Ave NE, Washington DC or donate on line www. humanrescuealliance.org