Bad Week

[Klynne]

We received the news yesterday that one of our former co-workers died. She beat cancer, but the treatments aggravated her diabetes, and she had to go on dialysis. They had to amputate a leg, however, she did recover and her husband and her had a couple of good years before she died. I talked with her niece tonight at the candlelight vigil, and she said Mary was alert until she died, and insisted on planning her own funeral. Mary was a mentor to me when I first started my job 14 years ago, and she was always kind and helpful. She was always busy, but made time for me. She also gave of her time to the community even when she was so sick. The woman had a heart of gold. Her niece said it was a blessing when she passed because she was in so much pain. She said Mary and her husband were holding hands when she died.

So, yesterday, we found out Mary died, and today we had even worse news. I was in a meeting with some clients, and my boss, and John, a co-worker came in and interrupted. He told us that Janet's (another co-worker) son called in and he had found Janet on the living room floor. An ambulance took them to the ER. Janet had no brain activity and was in a coma. She died around 4:30 today of a brain aneurism. Janet was 56, and a terrific person with a wicked sense of humor, and she was very intelligent. We all were in tears and just floored. I will miss her.