Written by Heather Wensley

Hello everyone, thank you for reading this Eulogy to celebrate my mom’s life. We didn’t want to do anything formal but I thought I should share a little bit about my mom.

They say that good things come in small packages and that’s the truth. My mom was such a tiny lady but the strongest woman I’ve known. She fought a courageous battle with cancer 7 years ago and again for the past year. She didn’t want many people to know about her illness as she bravely underwent treatment. My dad was there every through every appointment, hospital stay, all the good and bad days and by her side on her last day. I know she was so grateful for all he did.

My mom’s pride and joy came from her grandkids. She always bugged Bryan and me about wanting to be a Grandma. She would say “Oh I won’t be a grandmother until I’m 60.”, and then it was “not until I’m 65” waiting for one of us to give her a grandchild. A little while later Bryan met Catherine. Catherine has two beautiful daughters, Isabelle and Eva, and my mom instantly welcomed these girls and became Grandma. In 2014, Dominik and I welcomed our little girl Melina to the world. Dominik is originally from the Czech Republic and the word “Melina” means Grace in Czech. My mom was thrilled again to be Grandma and that we named Melina after her. There wasn’t a day that she didn’t talk or think about her grandchildren.

Besides her family, my mom’s true passion was traveling. I’m not sure how she caught the traveling bug but she loved to see new places. Long before the internet, I remember my mom collecting all the brochures from the travel agents and researching for hours on end about destinations, hotels and tours. After the invention of the internet she spent countless hours reading hotel reviews and seeking the best deals for any trip. She would often be looking for the next trip even before they got back home from the first one.

Before she was married, my mom and her friend Thelma traveled through Europe including England, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. Once my parents were married they honeymooned in Bahamas and continued to travel for the next 47 years. They have been coast to coast of Canada and the U.S. several times. The have driven from British Columbia to Newfoundland and across the U.S from California to New York and south to Key West. They also flew to Hawaii a few times. They have traveled widely throughout the Caribbean and South America including Cuba, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Antigua, Mexico, Columbia, Venezuela, and Costa Rica. My mom and dad’s favorite destination was to Aruba where they spent their 45th wedding anniversary.

I found these following words online and it is indeed something my mom would say:  “After years of extensive travel, my greatest adventure I’ll be taking alone- to the next world. It should be easy, no packing or schedules to worry about or postcards to send.”

I once read that, “The ones who travel are doubly blest, first with a chance to roam and then to rest. My roaming days are over, so now will come the big rest.”

Rest for now Mom. We will see you again someday and we’ll set out on our next destination together.

Love you.