Lucia Maria Crosson

A year and a half it is, since I attended the Farewell and Remembrance Service for Lucia. Lucia's work with Dress For Success Professional Womens' Group is well acknowledged within these comments and tributes. Lucia and her fine work also impacted me as I joined the PWG program in 2005. The program was - - and is still so successful, as well as it's successor program The Alumni, mostly because of it's shaping of content and culture by Lucia's skillful professional influence. Lucia's legacy is this: that her influence in those programs have contributed to so many Recipients. It is also how I personally found and then sculpted the better version of myself over and over in the 15 years since. Blessings to Lucia's family, in July 2020.

I do not know where to began , but one thing that I remember that strock me is Lucia's lovely distinctive "LAUGH", it was incredible and stood out and very noticeable and infectious, it had a depth to it, that when you are in a room with her you knew it was Lucia. One of my many encounters with her is when she made me tea and give me her chair at her desk to complete a project I was working on for one of the organizations many work shops entries. She had that down to earth personality. You will away be remembered by others because you were special and touch lives of others and made an impacted, you did your job here on earth my dear lady and you left a " Legecy" in an extraordinary ognazition. Rest in peace and go meet your CREATOR.

I still think you are somewhere here or there..... What you have done for me not easy to express in words. You were an inspiration for me, taught me how to love and feel proud of myself. You were a coach, mentor, supervisor and friend. You opened your hearth for me and made me feel special. You empowered me a non ordinary way... And now I still am learning about you more and more from other. What you have done for them is unbelievable powerful.... I am still wondering why you left us too early. Miss your presence... “Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same.” Forever in my memories! <3

Dearest Lucia: You are now an angel in heaven watching from above. You made a difference in so many lives, including mine. You were my mentor and a great supporter at very difficult times in my life and this is something I will NEVER forget. You will ALWAYS be in my heart and I will be forever grateful for all the things you did to encourage me to succeed in life. I recently won an award of accomplishment as ENTREPRENEUR of the year. I know this would make you so proud of me. I miss you very much. God bless you and women like you at DRESS FOR SUCCESS for being a light at the end of the tunnel into so many women's lives.

My condolences to Lucia’s family, partner Paul and daughter Madita. I am sorry for your loss. It never occurred to me Lucia had terminal cancer when I served her a meal while working at St. Paul’s because she displayed such a strong spirit along with a great sense of humour. It is her beautiful caring spirit that will stay with me forever. Lucia was a life saver when I lost my job and got kicked in the butt at work. Lucia was there to offer positive feedback, resources, and a network of guidance to put me on track again. Her caring personality made a huge difference to me when I was hard on my luck. Dress for Success runs on a shoestring but with staff members like Lucia she was able to do the work of many through her thoughtful and coordinated work effort. We had the events, funding, mentors, education, counselling, support that was made possible by the organization work done by Lucia. Thank you to her family for sharing her caring energy with the members of the PWG alumni and Dress for Success membership.

As I walked out the door this morning on my way to St-Helen's for our monthly meeting and looked out at my surroundings I smiled...bigger as I looked over to my left, Lost Lagoon, breathed in deep the clear view of the North Shore Mountains and to my right a glimpse of the sun through the clouds. As my smile became larger and filled my face, over the Grandville Bridge, the sun over False Creek on the one side & water ferries busy, as I look over at the ski runs to the top of the mountains. Thinking of all I am grateful for today. I am from DFS alumni group 14, 2008. I am grateful to be here this fine beautiful day January 5 2019. "Lucia kept reaching out to me... I did not take her hand, I was not quite ready yet...I showed up to most all DFS workshops she included me in. I always took away some lesson to help me move forward in many aspects of my daily life. Enhanced my day, redirected my thoughts, influenced in a positive forward motion." I will remember her fondly for never giving up on me. I am grateful to have met her and for being a part of DFS Alumni and all the it support provides.

Dein früher Tod hat uns alle schwer getroffen. Dein stets herzliche Art und deine Gastfreundschaft wird uns immer in Erinnerung bleiben. Du wirst sehr vermisst. Bei dir und bei euch, Paul und Madita, in Kanada zu sein war immer eine besondere Freude. Wir werden auch deine Hilfsbereitschaft vermissen, denn du hattest immer einen guten Ratschlag für mich und uns. Du wirst immer einen Platz in unseren Herzen haben.

Lucia, my dear Lucia, thank you for being shown up in this world, existed in my life, brought warmth into people around you, played a good model of what is called "Professional Woman". I will always miss you!

Thank you Lucia for all that you have done for the countless women that have come through the doors at Dress for Success and your selfless devotion to the Professional Women’s Group (PWG). You helped me and believed in my Leadership CAP Project Express Yourself and I am forever grateful. Your compassion will be deeply missed. I will also miss our talks about our cultural identities as German Canadians and our Germenglish conversations – it always made me laugh. I will miss you and feel honored to have been in your presence. And yes, I will keep up with the multivitamins! Für immer in unserem Herzen – your legacy will live on.

To Lucia’s family, I am so sorry to hear of Lucia’s passing. When I was a DFS client in 2012, the monthly meetings helped me transition from job loss to better times. When I look back at that time, I am reminded of Lucia’s compassion and guidance. She emanated kindness, grace and determination. She will not be forgotten.

Lucia lived with courage, compassion and understanding for everyone she met. Her passion for independence - both for herself and the women of the Professional Women's Group (PWG), Dress for Success Vancouver - was deep and wide, fuelled by a steely resolve. Each new group of women started PWG as an individual, and graduated as a member of a team - a team that had their back. Lucia believed that if you wrote your achievements down on paper, they had true strength. If the paper was pink in colour, even better! What a fabulous life Lucia lived! Thank you to Paul, Madita and the family for sharing your wife, mother, sister, daughter with us.

My heartfelt condolences to Lucia's family. She was an amazing person, a person who changed my life. I know all my PWG alumni know my story, but many from PWG do not. I was angry when I found myself in a PWG meeting. I could not understand what had happened to my life; where did it go wrong?! I am not one to hide my emotions and I spoke up. I questioned why this organization even needed to exist (not because of anything they had done) I was very angry at the world. You see, I am victim of domestic abuse, I am a Canadian Aboriginal, I am quite educated, so why was I here? Well the short of it was to meet Lucia. Within PWG I met many women who easily identified with me, and many, many, helped me with filling the missing pieces I was looking for - just by listening and talking about their own stories. In a polite way they consoled me but reminded me to focus on other things in life. This is where I really got to know Lucia. She was there with me and pushed me to 'chat' with Snoop Dog, she was there and supporting me with my CAP which included feeding street teens, a clothing drive, a pet food drive, and helping and teaching me to manage the large pool of volunteers. But she was also there to talk to me when I needed, about my son. She had a soft spot for us. My son was suffering from PTSD, high anxiety, and was diagnosed with ADHD. She was a wealth of information on diet and energy. She introduced me to meditation to help me with my stress levels. She just helped me grow in so many ways. I am grateful to her family for sharing her with us, without their support I'm sure she would not have been able give me the attention I desperately needed. Again, thank you Paul and Madita. I will always cherish the moments, wisdom, and care she gave me.

In memory of the passing of Lucia, I would like to share my thoughts with her family, friends, colleagues and others. I was me in a hurry(rushing back from my appointment in 2018) stopped in my tracks TO THINK, arguing with myself “You need to go to this booth, It NEVER right time you are always in a hurry” while approaching the booth I was drawn to a spring of beads the purpose was explain to me. Did not know at the time connection to beads - had a conversation with Lucia, I gave her the beads to comfort her. She knew how blessed it was to be living in Canada acknowledge by her colleague she be in good hands with her health. That Not to worry about health or prosperity she would take care in this found her strength and courage. As she was a special person to all with love to her family Paul and Madita. As a traveler she will be remember for comfort to others. With Love & Support - Ina

Lucia war meine älteste Schulfreundin und ihre überaus liebenswürdige und hilfsbereite Art hat mein Leben, nicht nur im Internat, sehr bereichert. Wir haben viel zusammen gespielt, gelacht, gefeiert und natürlich auch gelernt. Sie war in unserem Schultheaterstück die Prinzessin, die jeder Prinz für sich gewinnen wollte: wunderschön und engelsgleich. Lucia, du wirst mir sehr fehlen, ein Trost sind die wunderbaren Erinnerungen an dich. Danke, dass ich dich ein Stück deines Weges begleiten durfte.

I'm very sad to hear of Lucia's passing rather suddenly! I was looking forward to taking my next step and mentorship program with DFS and seeing her smiling face and commitment to the group of women of all professional backgrounds, dealing with various career and life transitions, in supportive environment. God bless her family and RIP Lucia. She has definitely left big shoes to fill...and luckily a strong infrastructure to follow her footsteps of capable and dedicated staff volunteers and follower's. DFS member since 2016.

Unerwartet hat uns die Nachricht von Lucias Tod erreicht. Lieber Paul, liebe Madita, unsere Zeilen können euch sicher kaum ein Trost sein in dem Schmerz, den ihr durch den Verlust erlitten habt. Aber sie sollen euch zeigen, dass wir in diesen Tagen in Gedanken bei euch sind. "Zeit heilt keine Wunden, sie lernt uns nur mit dem Schmerz zu leben". Herzliche Anteilnahme

Lucia lived in such a way that When she was born, everyone was smiling and Lucia was the only one who was crying. Now, everyone is crying and Lucia is the only one who is smiling. Smiling at so many lives she changed. Smiling at the meaningful life she had.

Du wirst hier sehr vermisst. Es ist schade, dass du nicht länger bleiben durftest. Deine positive Lebenseinstellung, deine Tapferkeit, mit der du deiner Krankheit entgegengetreten bist, und deine Ruhe, die du ausgestrahlt hast, sind uns ein bleibendes Vorbild. Dein Einsatz für Menschen in schwierigen Situationen war beispielhaft. Du hinterlässt eine große Lücke. Du fehlst uns.

I felt so sad knowing a person like you, full of love and passion, an inspiration of kindness and warmth would be gone so soon. Your smile and care for anyone coming to DFS will always be remembered. Your gentle and soft voice that made anyone feel welcome and safe will be missed. Rest in peace beautiful woman of good heart.

Lucia was a perfect example for selflessness! She was a true caring giving professional leader who I looked at as a role model throughout my time with PWG! She had a real passion for what she did at Dress for Success, and devoted all of her to it! I’ll always remember her sweet smile and bright look, and the influence she had in my life early on in my life in Canada as a skilled worker immigrant, while I was trying to find my career path! She’s touched many women throughout her short life! I wish all the best and patience for her family during this hard time. Rest In Peace, and God bless you Lucia!

Lucia was the sweetest, kindest person I have ever encountered. I have been completely devastated by her death. Whenever I came to the Dress For Success Meetings she was always kind, warm, friendly towards me. She introduced me to my former boss Marsha Goldford at CLBC where I have been working since November 13, 2008. When I had surgery back in December 2013 at St. Paul's Hospital, Lucia rallied around me and had women from all over the Dress For Success Women's network send me tons & tons of cards & well wishes. That meant the world to me. She was the main reason I kept going to the annual summer & Christmas potlucks at PWG. Because she always organized lots of fun things to do at the meetings - my favorite people bingo game that I have always loved - the prize draws. She made the meetings fun & memorable. I will never ever ever forget Lucia. She will always be in my heart.

I am shocked and sad to know that Lucia has left us so early. I still remember the days when I was volunteering for PWG meetings, Lucia was so energetic, nice and helpful. I learned a lot from her and I cherish all these moments and memories of Lucia.

Remember Lucia’s Smiles at me the very first PWG meeting in the Fall of 2013. I was inspired by this special meetings every time when Lucia showed us the steps to learn and free ourselves to become a confident person. She is genuinely sincere, caring, positive leader in our PWG. She is truly going to be missed by all of us. Lucia has left behind a model for being a professional, respectful, outstanding woman to all of us. Lucia; whereever you are, you are always in our mind. What a great lady you were to all of us. Love from Florence Lum, Alumni

Sitting here, feeling sad and thinking of the women and family who will usher Lucia to her final resting place today, I am also feeling peaceful, and yes – dare I say it - feeling joy. Why joy? Because I know for certain that Deb will be there to greet her She’ll be so pleased to be reunited with her friend Lucia that she’ll run over God in her haste to open the final door to welcome her. They’ve been apart for a few years now and there will be lots of catching up to do. Shortly, since they’ll have forever to catch up, they will wander off to find Anne. They’ll enlist her help in their future plans. Since Anne’s addiction no longer rules her life, she’ll make a fabulous helper. You see, Deb and Lucia will have decided by now that heaven needs a “proper greeter” and a mentor to show the newcomers around, introduce them to some of those that have gone before and let them know that they are safe and need fear nothing - ever again. Deb, Anne and Lucia will teach the newcomers to sing new songs and how to properly spread their wings, all at a pace that is gentle and caring – not pushy, like sometimes in the real world. They’ll make plans for annual picnics for everyone they know there and every year they’ll choose one special person to be the visitor, in dreams, for those who need encouragement. Just as in life Lucia and Deb will welcome women of every ethnicity and every faith and every colour to heaven and to be a part of the new Dress for Success Professional Women’s Group and Alumni; wings are, after all, not one size-fits-all and proper fitting is important, especially for the newcomers. Deb and Lucia, particularly, want everyone to feel right at home and loved. Just before Lucia and Deb finally wander off to find Anne, God picks himself up, dusts himself off, smiles broadly at the friendship renewed and embraces Lucia and welcomes her to her forever home. Yes. This picture gives me joy. Lucia gave me the courage to be me. Rest well, Lucia, rest well. Namaste.

Lucia war meine vier Monate ältere Cousine und die erste Freundin in meinem Leben. Ich erinnere mich an ihren 8. oder 9. Geburtstag, als eine ganze Kinderschar "Topfschlagen" spielte und an sonnige Ferientage, die wir damit verbrachten zu reden und zu lesen und zu lesen und zu reden. Ich bin dankbar, dass ich mit Lucia vor einem Jahr in München, nach vielen Jahren, in denen wir uns nicht gesehen hatten, ein paar Stunden verbringen durfte. Es war wie in unserer Kinderzeit, mir gegenüber saß der gleiche warmherzige Mensch mit leicht ironischem Humor und tiefgründigen Gedanken. Als wir uns zum Abschied umarmten, dachten wir, wir würden uns bald wieder treffen, in Kanada, in Deutschland oder in Italien. Ich möchte euch mein tiefes Mitgefühl ausdrücken, vor allem Paul, Madita und meinem Onkel Heini. Ich weine mit euch.

When I first heard of Lucia's passing, I was reading an excerpt from Charles Spurgeon, which read, and it seemed so appropriate: 'The word “hitherto” seems like a hand pointing in the direction of the past. Twenty years or seventy, and yet, “hitherto the Lord hath helped!” Through poverty, through wealth, through sickness, through health, at home, abroad, on the land, on the sea, in honour, in dishonour, in perplexity, in joy, in trial, in triumph, in prayer, in temptation, “hitherto has the Lord helped thee!” We delight to look down a long avenue of trees. It is delightful to gaze from end to end of the long vista, a sort of verdant temple, with its branching pillars and its arches of leaves; even so look down the long aisles of your years, at the green boughs of mercy overhead, and the strong pillars of lovingkindness and faithfulness which bear up all of your joys. Are there no birds in your future branches singing? Surely there must be many, and they all sing of HIS mercy received “hitherto.”'

I'm still in shock ! I cannot believe Lucia left us so soon. I miss her welcoming smile at our DFS meetings, yet I was lucky to know her and learn from her. Her challenging battle with cancer was the last lesson I've learned; enjoy life, stay active, stay positive till the last moments. Lucia ! Rest in Peace you, are missed already.

Dear, Lucia. Today I’ve received the news that you left this world and now is following your mission in heaven. I’m very heartbroken that I couldn’t give you a hug or say goodbye to one of the most amazing person that I’ve met in my life. I admire you! I admire your strength, your beauty and your big heart. You touched so many hearts just being simple and compassionate. My family and I will miss you forever. Plese, God, now take care of this beautiful star ⭐️. We are grateful for all her mission in the Earth.

I feel truly grateful to have known, Lucia. I have known her since I started volunteering with DFSV in 2005. I have worked closely with her since I started the PWG Alumni in 2009. She was a pleasure to work with: organized, insightful, a great listener. She shared such personal stories at the PWG Orientation and at various PWG meetings. I always looked forward to seeing her there. Thank you to Paul and Madita for sharing your wife and mother with the Dress for Success Vancouver family. Her warm heart and kind words will live in our hearts forever.

My heart is filled with sadness. I loved my visits with Lucia whenever I was in the DFS office. She was endlessly positive, always in the moment and always had such thoughtful insights. So while I feel sad to the core, I am also thankful for these precious moments. Thank you, Crosson family and friends, for sharing Lucia with the rest of us. Love and hugs to you all.