Lorna Colbert

If people enjoy Stephen Colbert, it's because of his late mother, Lorna.

The above exchange resulted from Stephen’s participation in Faces of America, in which Henry Louis Gates, Jr. tracked Stephen’s genealogy — but particularly memorable is the way Stephen lit up when describing his mother. It’s easy to understand why, once you get to know her, and in many ways we of the Colbert Nation felt we did know her due to Stephen’s many references to her on the Report and in interviews. Let’s take a moment to remember and honor this remarkable woman and supermom of eleven through Stephen’s lens.

Lorna Tuck Colbert raised her son Stephen - and her ten other children - right. When I was researching my biography on Stephen Colbert - And Nothing But The Truthiness - I was continually struck by the close relationship he shared with his parents and indeed, with all of his siblings. As the youngest of 11 children, from the day he was brought home from the hospital, his brothers and sisters regarded Stephen in the same way they would a new puppy. “My three sisters had a live baby doll,” he said. “Me.”

Lorna Colbert CHARLESTON - Lorna Elizabeth Tuck Colbert, of Charleston, widow of Dr. James William Colbert, Jr. entered into eternal rest on Wednesday, June 12, 2013. She was born in Larchmont, NY on November 6, 1920, a daughter of Andrew Edward and Marie Elizabeth Fee Tuck. Lorna Colbert was an adored wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. In addition to being the matriarch of a family of 82, Lorna Colbert was an accomplished artist, a church leader, a businesswoman, a supporter of the arts and a woman whose profound faith was apparent in her daily life. She was predeceased by her husband, Dr. James William Colbert, Jr., her sons, William George Colbert, Sr., Paul Joseph Colbert and Peter Michael Colbert; her brother and sister, Andrew Edward Tuck, Jr. and Colleen Tuck Tibbitts. She is survived by her children: James William Colbert III, Edward Tuck Colbert, Mary Colbert Denger, Margaret Colbert Keegan, Thomas Francis Colbert, John Andrew Colbert, Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Stephen Tyrone Colbert and her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her Mass of Christian Burial and Rite of Committal will be private. Her Guestbook may be signed at www.jamesamcalister.com In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to Medical University of South Carolina Foundation for the Dr. James W. Colbert Endowment Fund: MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, SC 29425, or www.musc.edu/giving. Arrangements by JAMES A. MCALISTER Funerals & Cremation 766-1365 Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston