One grew up in the California Bay Area and the other one in Cortland, New York.
My mom was Josephine Cifonelli Biviano. She was proud of her Italian heritage, loved my father with her whole heart, and raised our family with compassion and discipline. She was very close to her brothers—Danny, Dickie, Paulie, and Sam—and especially close to her sister, Carol. She worked hard and enjoyed traveling with my dad, Frank Biviano. Family meant everything.
My mother-in-law was Lynne Dewar Lloyd. She grew up proud of her Irish and Scottish roots, and took trips with her grandchildren to San Franciso to shop or see a play. She loved sewing and made a spectacular wedding dress for daughter, Catie. She was absolutely devoted to her one true love, Jack Lloyd, a medical device entrepreneur who I wrote about earlier this week.
Both moms enjoyed each other’s company and especially that of their grandson, Michael Lloyd. Josephine would have just one grandson, while Lynne enjoyed watching 11 descendants of her own children grow up.
Josephine was a widow at the young age of 70. For some of you, 70 might not sound young—but in years to come, you’ll see what I mean. She lived another decade after Frank’s passing from a rare form of lymphoma. She would be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and pass in 2011—just 3.5 months from diagnosis to death.
When Michael flew out to Grandma Jo’s funeral, he was accompanied by Grandma Lynne, who helped him shape his thoughts for the eulogy that would follow at his grandma’s funeral. It wasn’t hard to write—he and Grandma Jo were die-hard New York Yankees fans who talked by phone for 30 minutes each week. I always admired Lynne being there to help Michael at this very difficult time.
Lynne’s story was quite different. She became a widow just eight days ago and passed away the day before Mother’s Day. Like Josephine, her love of her husband was iron-clad and true. He cared for her through stroke and dementia, barely ever leaving her side. And at ages 89 and 88, I think it’s easy to say that they couldn’t live without one another, dying just seven days apart.
Both Josephine and Lynne were devout Catholics. I read recently that St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas proposed that whether you die as infants or elderly, you will rise in a perfected, youthful state, typically cited around 30–33 years old, and that resurrected bodies will be free from the defects of old age or any underdevelopment as a child. This reflection gives me comfort and is the measure of the stature and the fullness of Christ.
My wish on Mother’s Day for both these fabulous, courageous women is this just that. That they are now healed, united, and living their best life up above, with the steady guidance and love of both their husbands. It’s how it should be and I believe how it is.
There will be a Catholic Mass in remembrance of Lynne in coming weeks and a larger family gathering several weeks after that. We appreciate all the well wishes and compassion we’ve received from family and friends. We can never forget the mark our mothers leave, even after they leave.
Judy Lloyd is the CEO of Altamont Communications Strategies and the Host of the Purple Inspiration Podcast. She has been a practicing Catholic her entire life; hoping one day to be good at it.