It was almost impossible for the Catholic Herald staff
to find a solo photo of Xaverian Brother David Eddy to
accompany this obituary despite his nearly 11 years of
service in the Arlington Diocese. That speaks volumes about
the man who lived to serve others, who avoided the spotlight
even while constantly in it and whose life was devoted to
overseeing the details of everyday life for Arlington Bishop
Paul S. Loverde and the Chancery.
After 25 years of working side-by-side with Bishop Loverde,
Brother Eddy died Feb. 15 of pancreatic cancer after being
diagnosed in late fall. He was 61.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Cathedral of
St. Thomas More in Arlington on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. on what
would have been Brother Eddy’s 62nd birthday. A viewing will
be held at Murphy Funeral Homes in Arlington on Feb. 17 from
7 to 9 p.m., with a wake service beginning at 7 p.m.
Reception of the Body will take place at the cathedral on
Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., with visitation following until 4 p.m.,
and again from 7 to 9 p.m., with a vigil service at 7 p.m.
Interment will take place at the Xaverian Brothers Cemetery
in Danvers, Mass.
In a statement following Brother Eddy’s death, Bishop Loverde
said:
“I first met Brother David when I directed a retreat for the
Xaverian Brothers at their high school in Middletown, Conn.
In 1985, he began his service to the Church in the Diocese of
Norwich, continuing on in the Archdiocese of Hartford and the
Dioceses of Ogdensburg and Arlington. He not only served as
my assistant and secretary, but also as Master of Ceremonies
and designer-consultant on the renovations of the Bishop’s
House in Ogdensburg and here in Arlington of the Chancery
Offices and the Saint Thomas More Center.
“Brother David was not only a trusted collaborator in the
service of the Church and a faithful religious, but also, in
a very real way, a brother to me. Having no siblings of my
own, he truly became my brother. I pray that the Lord will
give him eternal life in our true home in the company of the
angels and saints. From there, may he intercede for us on our
pilgrim way.”
Born Feb. 19, 1948, in Worcester, Mass., Brother Eddy was the
son of the late Robert A. and Irene C. (LeDuc) Eddy. He
graduated from St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, Mass.,
where he was taught by the Xaverian Brothers. He joined the
Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis Xavier on July 8,
1966, completing his novitiate at St. Joseph Novitiate in
Newton Highlands, Mass., and pronouncing his first profession
of vows on Sept. 8, 1968. He pronounced his perpetual vows as
a Xaverian brother on May 7, 1977.
Brother Eddy began his scholasticate at Xaverian College in
Silver Spring, Md., and later went on to study at Catholic
University in Washington and the University of Massachusetts,
earning a bachelor’s in mathematics in 1972. He did graduate
studies at California State University in Long Beach, Calif.
Brother Eddy began his teaching career at Malden Catholic
High School in Malden, Mass., where he taught mathematics and
computer science from 1972-76. In 1976, he was transferred to
Xavier High School in Middletown, Conn., where, in addition
to teaching mathematics and computer science, he managed the
school bookstore, organized the school’s sophomore retreat
program and moderated a number of student activities.
Brother Eddy’s career in education was sidetracked in 1985
when he agreed to assist then-Father Loverde in his new post
as bishop’s delegate for clergy in the Office of Clergy
Personnel for the Diocese of Norwich, Conn.
What was to be a 12-month assignment evolved into a 25-year
mission spanning four dioceses. In 1988, Father Loverde was
appointed Auxiliary Bishop for the Archdiocese of Hartford,
Conn., and soon thereafter asked Brother Eddy to come and
work as his assistant. During these years Brother Eddy
continued to live with the Xaverian community in Middletown.
In 1994, Brother Eddy again accompanied Bishop Loverde to the
Diocese of Ogdensburg, N.Y., and – one last time – in 1999 to
the Arlington Diocese.
Brother Eddy was a member of the Knights of Columbus (fourth
Degree) and the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and
collaborated with the Knights of Malta.
As one year turned into a quarter of a century, Brother Eddy
lived by the motto “you do what needs to be done.” Whether
helping to manage a staff of one or 150, driving a school bus
or overseeing the renovation of the newly opened St. Thomas
More Center, Brother Eddy met every new challenge with
determination and faith.
In a 2008 interview, Brother Eddy said his life has been a
leap of faith.
“I’ve allowed God into my life and therefore what’s happening
is not something I’ve plotted or planned,” he said. “I’m just
sitting here being of service.”
Father Paul deLadurantaye, director of the Office of
Catechetics and Sacred Liturgy, said that Brother Eddy lived
a life of dedication and devoted service to the Church.
“As he often said of himself, he did whatever needed to be
done, and in that attitude I saw his wholehearted, generous
response to the will of God,” Father deLadurantaye said.
“Brother David was a man of faith who served others with joy
and good humor. I always saw him as a man who loved the Lord,
his religious community and the mission God had given to him
with the fidelity that comes from an abiding trust in God’s
providence.”
“Brother David served the Church and the congregation as a
teacher even though he hadn’t taught in a classroom for many
years,” said Xaverian Brother Lawrence Harvey, general
superior for the Congregation of the Brothers of St. Francis
Xavier. “He was a model of faithful, selfless service.”
In addition to his brothers in religion and Bishop Loverde,
Brother Eddy is survived by sisters Carol A. Horvath and her
husband, Pat, of Edwards, Colo., and Renee C. Zane and her
husband, Wally, of Highlands Ranch, Colo.; brothers James R.
Eddy and his wife, Maryliz, of Brewster, Mass., Steven R.
Eddy and his wife, Victoria, of Woodland Park, Colo., Bryan
P. Eddy and his wife, Charlene, of Grafton, Mass., and
Timothy J. Eddy and his wife, Dawn, of N. Grafton., Mass.; 14
nieces and nephews; and three great-nieces and great-nephews.
Father Richard Mullins, administrator of St. Louis Parish in
Alexandria, saw Brother Eddy the day before he died, thanked
him for all their shared memories during the last decade and
told him he would be in his prayers forever.
“As a religious he would have prayed every night the prayer
… ‘Now, Lord, let your servant go in peace,'” Father
Mullins said. “That’s what he was and what he always wanted
to be: a good servant to the bishop and a good servant to the
diocese. Now it’s time for him to go in peace and rest from
all of his work.”
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the
Xaverian Brothers (C.F.X.), 4409 Frederick Ave., Baltimore,
MD, 21229, or to the Diocese of Arlington, 200 N. Glebe Rd.,
Ste. 914, Arlington, VA 22203.
