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Tribute to Tevelis by Sophie Kazickas, granddaughter

Tevelis, you showered each and every one of us with a beautiful love, and I thank you for that, because it was in those moments, where I learned how to love. You taught me the importance of love and happiness, and its relationship to family. Without happiness life would be incomplete, and without family we would be incapable of knowing what it felt like to be cared for unconditionally or what it felt like to care for someone unconditionally, - the moment I began to understand the strength of those types of feelings and emotions is when I was capable of finding my inner happiness. You showed me that no matter what battle I may be facing, or what challenges are thrown my way, I had a safe haven waiting for me in the version of my parents, my siblings, my aunts, uncles, cousins, and of course my grandparents.

There are moments where I want to start to cry because you are gone, but then I feel a warm breeze pass by, or I see the sun peaking through the clouds, a wave breaking on the shore, and I realize that you are very much still alive. It is so clear to me that you, Mamyte and Alex are watching over us every day, and smiling not only because you guys are finally together, but also because your beautiful family is together down here. 

Tevelis, I will miss the moments where all of us cousins would be gathered around the dining room table in Cat Cay listening to your amazing stories, and then next thing you know you are yelling at us for not being at Bu’s Bar or the Haigh House socializing. I will miss the moments when you would ask me to find a boyfriend, and then when I tell you that I may have found a potential suitor, you would spend the next hour letting me know all of the reasons as to why you think I should not be dating. I will miss the moments of just sitting next to you resting my head on your shoulder as you read the paper, we didn’t have to talk, but instead we would just enjoy each others presence. There are so many moments that I will miss, but these are the moments that I will cherish forever. 

Tevelis you touched every single persons heart. You made everyone feel a sense of purpose, and I know we all thank you for that. I wish that you could see the amount of people who have been sending the Kazickas family their love and their condolences, because trust me it is a lot. You will be greatly missed, but like I said before, I know you are still with us, and will always be with us, until we all meet again in Heaven. For now, shower Mamyte with kisses, and tell Alex that I look forward to that day where I get the chance to meet him. And I need you to know that if I can become half the person that you were, I will be extremely pleased with how I lived my life. We miss you already... Sophie