BANGOR- Veronika “Vera” (Eckl) Cummings, 83, passed away peacefully at home with family by her side on June 29, 2023.
Mom was born to Josef and Johanna (Latzko) Eckl on December 16, 1939 in Schonwëhr, Sudetenland, in the Bohemia region of the former Czechoslovakia. At that time, the Sudetenland was inhabited by millions of Germans. But, at the end of WWII these people were forced from their homeland, carrying what they could, and transported into Germany. As a child forced to live in refugee camps, that upheaval greatly impacted Mom’s life.
After much time in the camps, Vera’s family settled and built their new life in the small town of Wehen, just outside of Wiesbaden. There, as a young woman, Vera met and married Ronald Cummings, an American serviceman stationed nearby. With her new husband, Vera immigrated to the United States. She raised her family, moving from Air Force base to Air Force base for years, until landing for good in Bangor, Maine, her husband’s hometown.
Mom got a kick out of telling her American friends that she learned English by watching ‘I Love Lucy’ and exercising with Jack LaLane. After years of homemaking and her divorce, Mom apprehensively entered the workforce. She worked 35 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor, until she retired as a unit secretary. It was an accomplishment she was proud to share.
Mom was an active, intelligent and curious woman who followed politics and current affairs. She often had strong opinions on both. Throughout her life she enjoyed tennis, skiing, golf and long walks. She had lifelong love for gardens and birds and was excited when her own garden bloomed. At the end of her life she was on constant look out for cardinals in her yard and became as excited to see them each time as if it were her first sighting.
Vera was loved and is survived by her children, Kathleen of Portland, Oregon, Tom, his wife, Amy and their son, Ryan of Bangor and Steven of Searsport, with whom she shared a special bond; siblings and their families, Herta Schricks, Renate Eilmes and Reinhold Eckl, all of Germany; dear friends, Ellie and Joe Bertolaccini of Orrington and Betty and Bob Quinn of Melbourne, Florida.
The family wishes to extend a special thank-you to the many caregivers that provided care and comfort to Vera in her final months. Among the many, we’d like to specifically acknowledge Pam, Karin, Tina, Melissa and Natalie. We are forever grateful for their kindness.
Those who wish to remember Vera in a special way may make donations in her memory to the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation at https://www.gbs-cidp.org/donate or to the American Cancer Society.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. John Church, York Street 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 6, 2023. Immediately followed by a committal service at Mt. Pleasant Catholic Cemetery, Ohio Street, Bangor. For those who wish to view the service remotely please visit www.stpaulbangor.me/watch-mass-live. Obituary lovingly prepared by Kathleen Cummings. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Veronika "Vera" Cummings, please visit our flower store.
Mom was born to Josef and Johanna (Latzko) Eckl on December 16, 1939 in Schonwëhr, Sudetenland, in the Bohemia region of the former Czechoslovakia. At that time, the Sudetenland was inhabited by millions of Germans. But, at the end of WWII these people were forced from their homeland, carrying what they could, and transported into Germany. As a child forced to live in refugee camps, that upheaval greatly impacted Mom’s life.
After much time in the camps, Vera’s family settled and built their new life in the small town of Wehen, just outside of Wiesbaden. There, as a young woman, Vera met and married Ronald Cummings, an American serviceman stationed nearby. With her new husband, Vera immigrated to the United States. She raised her family, moving from Air Force base to Air Force base for years, until landing for good in Bangor, Maine, her husband’s hometown.
Mom got a kick out of telling her American friends that she learned English by watching ‘I Love Lucy’ and exercising with Jack LaLane. After years of homemaking and her divorce, Mom apprehensively entered the workforce. She worked 35 years at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bangor, until she retired as a unit secretary. It was an accomplishment she was proud to share.
Mom was an active, intelligent and curious woman who followed politics and current affairs. She often had strong opinions on both. Throughout her life she enjoyed tennis, skiing, golf and long walks. She had lifelong love for gardens and birds and was excited when her own garden bloomed. At the end of her life she was on constant look out for cardinals in her yard and became as excited to see them each time as if it were her first sighting.
Vera was loved and is survived by her children, Kathleen of Portland, Oregon, Tom, his wife, Amy and their son, Ryan of Bangor and Steven of Searsport, with whom she shared a special bond; siblings and their families, Herta Schricks, Renate Eilmes and Reinhold Eckl, all of Germany; dear friends, Ellie and Joe Bertolaccini of Orrington and Betty and Bob Quinn of Melbourne, Florida.
The family wishes to extend a special thank-you to the many caregivers that provided care and comfort to Vera in her final months. Among the many, we’d like to specifically acknowledge Pam, Karin, Tina, Melissa and Natalie. We are forever grateful for their kindness.
Those who wish to remember Vera in a special way may make donations in her memory to the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation at https://www.gbs-cidp.org/donate or to the American Cancer Society.
A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. John Church, York Street 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 6, 2023. Immediately followed by a committal service at Mt. Pleasant Catholic Cemetery, Ohio Street, Bangor. For those who wish to view the service remotely please visit www.stpaulbangor.me/watch-mass-live. Obituary lovingly prepared by Kathleen Cummings. Condolences to the family may be expressed at BrookingsSmith.com
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