Saturday, May 16, 2009

Deaths in the Family

Tanya called her sister in Siberia this morning as she does every Saturday before 8:00 am and learned that her aunt, her father's sister, had died last night. She was 77. Worked all day in the garden, then went to the sauna and I guess the combination was too much for her heart. I met her a couple years back when last I was in Abakan. Her daughter, Tanya's cousin, lives in Moscow and we hope to go visit her this summer.

Our neighbour Lucia's mother passed away this morning. She had been confined to bed, unable to move since mid March but could still speak clearly up to the end. Lucia's father died a few years ago and Lucia moved her mom in from the village to the house next door and has looked after her ever since. The last two months were very hard on her. Lucia's older brother died quite a few years ago. He was a Paraplegic after a diving accident when he was about 20. Lucia's mother looked after him.

Family looks after family here. Not because it is so special or so wonderful but because there is no other way.

3 comments:

  1. That's sad. Tell Tanya I'll be thinking of her.

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  2. Condolences on the losses around you. Life is precious. The singular grace in both of the deaths you shared is thact these people had lived realtively long and well.

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  3. Lucia's mom was 88 and Tanya's aunt 77 so they had both lived a good long time, as you said, RB.

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