Time to say goodbye....

[SpoiledMan]

Today I have to say goodbye to a friend, customer and former co-worker. It`s not going to be easy as she was a firefighter and the ceremony will be too difficult to shake from my mind.



I met this particular lady when I was just a teenager just starting my very first "real" job. She was an inspiration to me because she had beat the odds in a very special way. A woman had broken into a "mans job" at a time when "the boys" weren`t having it. She became respected for her abilities and loved because of her kind and sweet heart. She had a magic personality that just got ahold of you and gave you no choice but to like/love her.



About 18 months ago she began a battle with cancer that doctor`s said was very "treatable" and she was very positive about facing it. She came from treatments with a smile on her face and no matter how she felt, she NEVER turned a friend away. She signed me up to take car of her "new" Yukon on a regular basis about a year ago and fell in love with the idea of having someone to take care of it and keep it looking as good as it could. The people that she worked with worked her shifts so that she would not miss a paycheck and would be able to keep insurance while she battled for her life. Firemen that didn`t even know her but only knew of her would bring her cooked meals 3 times a day so that she could get rest while she still took on the effort of raising her 7 year old daughter. It pains me so to see her gone as she leaves this little girl to grow up without a mother.



I have seen this type of ceremony enough already at just the ripe old age of 35 and I still HATE to see the planes/helicopters fly over in the missing man formation. The pain that the man-less horse brings is tough for a bunch of grown men to deal with. I will do my best to keep my head up over the next couple days and get back to what I do but it just wont be easy.



Thanks you ALL for reading this and I hope you all value your friends/family while you can.

[General Lee]

I know exactly how those ceremonies can be. I`m so sorry to hear this news.

[Wasatch]

Sorry to hear this.

[imported_Sullybob]

I am sorry to hear this. Losing friends is never easy.

[DaGonz]

Today I have to say goodbye to a friend, customer and former co-worker. It`s not going to be easy as she was a firefighter and the ceremony will be too difficult to shake from my mind.



I met this particular lady when I was just a teenager just starting my very first "real" job. She was an inspiration to me because she had beat the odds in a very special way. A woman had broken into a "mans job" at a time when "the boys" weren`t having it. She became respected for her abilities and loved because of her kind and sweet heart. She had a magic personality that just got ahold of you and gave you no choice but to like/love her.



About 18 months ago she began a battle with cancer that doctor`s said was very "treatable" and she was very positive about facing it. She came from treatments with a smile on her face and no matter how she felt, she NEVER turned a friend away. She signed me up to take car of her "new" Yukon on a regular basis about a year ago and fell in love with the idea of having someone to take care of it and keep it looking as good as it could. The people that she worked with worked her shifts so that she would not miss a paycheck and would be able to keep insurance while she battled for her life. Firemen that didn`t even know her but only knew of her would bring her cooked meals 3 times a day so that she could get rest while she still took on the effort of raising her 7 year old daughter. It pains me so to see her gone as she leaves this little girl to grow up without a mother.



I have seen this type of ceremony enough already at just the ripe old age of 35 and I still HATE to see the planes/helicopters fly over in the missing man formation. The pain that the man-less horse brings is tough for a bunch of grown men to deal with. I will do my best to keep my head up over the next couple days and get back to what I do but it just wont be easy.



Thanks you ALL for reading this and I hope you all value your friends/family while you can.



Thank you for posting what is a very emotional event for you.



What you posted about her brothers working her shifts and taklng care of her is the spirit of brotherhood among firefighters that many people just don`t understand. We take care of our brothers and sisters, and if the same fate befell any one of us, the same thing would happen.



Don`t worry about her daughter... she has many "stepdads" that will watch out for her as they did for her Mom.

[NEW AGAIN]

Hang in there and keep you head up for her and most of all for YOU.

[SpoiledMan]

Thanks to all of you again for reading and responding to this thread. My wife went to the viewing last night and was touched by the HUGE turnout. I had told her about these kinds of things in the past and I guess she just didn`t really understand. She was floored that there were firemen from as far away as New York!



Gonzo, I know that that`s how it goes and that all take care of each other. Her daughter will be taken care of for sure but the relationship that she had with her mother was very special and while she *seems* to be dealing with it very well at this point it will really hit her when she brings that completed project home from school and wants to show it to her mom.

[stilez]

Very sorry to hear the news. Good Luck with everything. We are here for ya.

[Lexuslvr]

I`m sorry to hear the news. I completely understand about the missing man formation as it was done when my father died.

[Accumulator]

My sincere condolences on the loss of your friend.

[klnyc]

Yeah, keep your head up high. We`re here for you.

[imported_norahcrv]

. . . to hear of your loss, but I would try to view the time you were able to spend with her as a blessing. And the support of her fellow workers is a testament to that.



It seems that we are robbed of these wonderful people far too soon, but we must be grateful for the time that we are given to spend with them and make the most of it while we can.



I lost a good friend last year after a long battle with cancer. Her daughters were in school with my son & as I struggle with my daily demons, I try to look to her life as an example.



Celebrate & appreciate every day you have!

[LightngSVT]

Very touching. My Sympathies for your loss and especially her daughters loss.

[Tasty]

Sorry to hear this news. I think a big turnout at a funeral is an amazing thing though. I remember going to the funerals of my dad`s parents when they passed and there were people standing outside the church because there was no more room on the inside. I think of this from time to time as I go through life, and it makes me ponder the way I live. In our society where it is all about stuff and what you have, we sometimes forget about doing for others. It speaks volumes about people who have so many turn out to bid them farewell. It is awesome to know a person like that, and it sounds like you did. I think the world would be a much nicer place if people went through life saying how do I want to be remembered. Best wishes to her daughter also...

[SpoiledMan]

Thank you all for the well wishes. The firemen have vowed to take care of her daughter and see that she has everything that she needs.



I don`t think the daughter has a true understanding of what is missing in her life at this point. I hope that she is able to cope when is does hit her. The Chaplains have arranged counseling for her and she has already started.



Many funds were started in the name of the departed that will benefit women that want to become firefighters. Awareness and support groups have been given the blessing for those that work in the profession and their families should they have to stare cancer in the face.



With all of the good that came from the services and the responses that I got both here and on other forums, I have lots to hold my head high about!!