Desus Nice announced the passing of his mother, Olive Baker, and paid tribute to her legacy.
While honoring her commitment to raising he and his siblings, he also applauded her commitment to her community through her dedication to the New York Public Library system.
“I remember you working a fulltime job while going to Queens College at night to get your Masters in Library Science. And how you would come home tired, but still somehow made time for us,” he said. “I remember when you became the senior branch librarian at the Soundview Branch library, and how all the employees looked up to you. And how your name resonated through out the NYPL system.”
Desus also spoke about his mother’s understanding of he and his siblings grief around losing their father last year, despite her fight with Alzheimers leaving her voiceless.
“And I remember when Daddy passed, how you were sad because even though you could no longer talk, you knew,” he said. “And how you held on for us, because we couldn’t lose both parents in the same year.”
The funny host spoke candidly on his relationship with Baker and what he will carry with him in her absence.
“I remember you reading the NY times to me as a child,” he shared. “And how on sundays we would discuss the “ethicist” column, and have deep conversations about if we agreed with the writer. You always spoke to me like an adult, regardless of my age.
I complained once that we never had ‘american food’ like my classmates. You responded that I would have to pay a lot for the food I used to get for free when I’d get older. You were correct.”
He continued,
“I remember taking you the emergency room and the doctor saying a phrase I had never heard before. Subdermal hematoma. The doctor also said you needed emergency brain surgery immediately. The surgery was successful but the doctor warned that alzheimer’s was the most probable outcome. And it was.
I remember your recovery. How you would light up when you spent time with your grandchild, Miles. And how the three of us (and Rocco) sat in the living room watching “Regular Show” as you cried tears of laughter at the trash boat episode which you found particularly hilarious (taste!)”
He also revealed the heartbreaking experience of watching her fight her diagnosis.
“I remember how you began to not remember,” he said. “Names, places, and locations. How you’d get confused about simple things, or call me by your brother’s name instead of my own. I remember how frustrated this made you, because you were still you….yet you weren’t.”
He continued,
“Rather than remember what you were unable to do, I reflect on the good you left in this world and the lives you changed when you were here. Wherever you’re at now, I hope there’s a library full of books to read and a beautiful garden for you to tend to.”
We’re sending our prayers and love to Desus and his family during this difficult time.
