104 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 1 JANUARY 2021
kids up as much as you can, give those super hugs that tickle them to the
point of screaming laughter, feed them chocolate cupcakes with extra sprinkles
and have their favourite snacks and toys on hand. She has taught us to
always take the time to visit them, laugh with them and appreciate and love
them.
Angela has taught us how to be there for each other. She has taught us to
check in on everyone and to make sure that everything is okay—that no one
needs any help. If you were travelling, she found an audiobook for you. If
you had a party to plan, she would find you decorations. If you had too much
work to do, she would help. If you needed your taxes done, she would do that
too. If you needed help at work, she would stay with you until you had an
answer to your question, no matter how late she had to stay. She has taught
us that you must make time for your friends and family—you look out for
them and help them no matter what, no matter how busy you might be.
We are all heartbroken because Angela is superhuman. She is so many
things to so many people that we are at a loss as to what happens next. We
are sure that Angela has thoughts on that too. We always teased her about
her bossiness, and her reply was that she was good at it. So we know that
she has a plan for us now. She always planned out everything, and we feel
it in our hearts that she is still showing us what to do now.
So we will leave you with this: when Angela went through chemotherapy,
we created a saying from the letters of the word HOPE—healing onsets with
positive energy. We recognized that this was a storm, but we would look for
the rainbow. As Angela was able to be so brave and positive in her fight for
healing, we know that she would like us to follow in her example as we try
to move forward in healing our pain from this devastating loss. We must be
as strong and courageous as Angela and heal our pain with positive energy.
With laughter, celebration and cupcakes, we will walk forward and honour
Angela. Her biggest concern when she got sick was not for herself, but
for her family and friends who would feel so much pain. So we will heal ourselves
with Angela’s positive energy and continue to tell her story. Angela
was so worried about the kids forgetting about her, not remembering her,
but that is only because she did not truly understand the impact she has on
others. No one will be able to forget Angela; it is simply not possible.
Angela, we thank you for being the most amazing sister, auntie, daughter,
niece, cousin, friend and colleague. You have filled our lives with love, light
and laughter, and we will hold that in our hearts and continue to tell your
story. You will not be forgotten, and we will look for you in rainbows.
Angela’s family, friends and colleagues have established a memorial bursary
in her name to pay tribute to all that Angela stood for and to continue