My mum, Anne Bennett, died on Wednesday, January 17th, 2007, just 2 weeks short of her 65th birthday. She got a very serious bout of pneumonia that got the better of her in the end.
Mum always told me I could do what I want and supported me enthusiastically. She got the biggest kick out of my childhood career plans. I said I was going to be the first female submarine captain in the Royal Navy (my dad was a submariner in the Royal Navy) and marry a farmer so he could stay home with the kids while I traveled around the world (aged 10). She never once discouraged me in anything I wanted to try or do, even if I was taking my holidays in war-torn Sri Lanka or spending a few months in Saudi Arabia while the Americans bombed nearby countries.
My mum was also my biggest blog fan. She avidly read my travels around Latin America before I went to do my MBA, and lived every day with me at Wharton through my Wharton daily diary. Most recently, she was the biggest and most colorful commenter on this blog, which I would set to post before 5:30am most days so she'd have a new entry to read when she got up (she was the ultimate morning person).
My love of animals comes from my mum and she'd always have some insight into Embrace I had never thought about. We grew up in a house full of cats, dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, gerbils and fish. I have so many childhood memories about the joy of parenting a menagerie, I could tell stories for hours. We thought it fitting that any donations people wanted to make in rememberance of her would be to the Toronto Humane Society or the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Animals. She'd be pleased that something good could come of this whole unexpected situation.
So, today is Mum's funeral at 11am in Barrie, Ontario, Canada and a sad day for all. Take a thought for Anne, a wonderful maverick of a mum and so much larger than life. We do miss her so.
