Vanessa…

There I was, in the deli this morning, like many mornings.  I was getting my coffee and ran into a customer of mine.  A very nice man who manages property for another customer of mine, he looked at me and said I have been meaning to stop in to tell you, Vanessa passed away.  My immediate reaction was “Oh my God!”  I was shocked and very sad.

Vanessa was an awesome person.  Very sweet and friendly with a cute British accent.  I remember when she first called to have some work done at her house (I am a secretary at a plumbing company).  We chatted like old friends from that very first call about eight years ago.  When I was first separated and moving into an apartment, Vanessa gave me some of her furniture that she no longer needed.  I thought this was very generous of her because Vanessa and I have never actually met in person.  We only had two or three phone conversations a year during the last eight years.

Vanessa had cancer.  She battled it for years.  It started as lung cancer.  She went through treatments, the cancer went away, the cancer came back, and she went through more treatments.  I guess this last time the cancer came back it came back in more than just her lungs.

I am very sad about the passing of Vanessa.  I feel very badly for her husband who has been helping and taking care of her for the last few years.  I feel badly for her other family members and her friends.  I will miss her voice on the other end of the phone.

My hope is that she didn’t suffer and that she had her loved ones there with her in her final moments.

Rest in peace, Vanessa you will be missed. 

Until we meet again

Susan