Helen Guest

Yesterday was Helen's memorial service. It was held at her house and there were a lot of people and heartfelt memories were told. It really hit me close to home. She is my cousin once removed (my Dad's first cousin) and she was only 63. The same age as p. This was her death notice in the Sloppy Grail last week:

GUEST, Helen Nancy
PhD, FCPRS
(Jan. 9, 1945 – Nov. 18, 2008) Died in her sleep in her 63rd year. Helen (née McKnight) was devoted to her family. She was the much loved daughter of Bill and Nancy McKnight, the beloved wife for 41 years of John Guest, and dear mother of Jennifer and Michael. She was very close to her siblings, Jane Steenberg, Michael McKnight, and Bob McKnight, and to their families, as well as to her husband's family. After completing her PhD in English at Trinity College, University of Toronto, Helen found her niche as a speechwriter and business communicator, first with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, later with William M. Mercer, and finally on a freelance basis with The Institute of Corporate Directors and a major accounting firm (she sometimes said she ''specialized in dull''). A celebration of Helen's life will be held in her home at 166 Glen Manor Drive, Toronto on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 2:00 pm.

I did get to see family members at the memorial that I have either never met or only met when I was very small. But I feel very sad. I was only just getting to know that side of my family and now I've lost one member.