Fiona Gogarty

Fiona was a special person, a bright light, and a spark to those who knew her. I know that my life was made so much richer by knowing her. She had the gift of bringing out the best in people with her kindness, her generosity and her unique ability to always seem to know what you were thinking. She knew what was best for you and rarely took no for an answer when nudging you in that direction. In happier times, I spent many Christmas Eve's and days enjoying the hospitality of her family's holiday. Those were special times for me and Wendy and the memories of those wonderful times will be how we chose to remember Fiona. Laughing, singing, sharing, and loving, playing cards, and wrapping presents after midnight so they would all be ready for the morning. We shared our September birthdays as well as countless other celebrations, and as always, I was welcomed with open arms by my "second" family to share in the joy that always seemed to revolve around Fiona. I'll never be certain what caused Fiona to fall on hard times the last couple of years. Fiona had so many people who loved her and tried their best to help and support her. She had an illness that is hard for many to understand, but it caused her to alienate the people who loved her the most and that was a tragedy. This is not the way the story was supposed to end. Not the way I saw it anyway. I my version, Fiona would wake up one day and somehow find the strength to get the help she needed to get well. She would mend the fences and repair the hearts ravaged by her illness and make all our lives whole again. The fact that this will not happen now is one of the greatest heart breaks I will know in my lifetime. Whatever can be said about Fiona, I know she loved her kids and her family more than anything else in this world. Last week I was invited to a zoom call with some dear old friends to celebrate Fiona's life, but after signing on and hearing their heartfelt words, I quickly had to sign off. I couldn't face the reality of the loss, I wasn't strong enough to deal with the certainty that I would never see Fiona again. Now, as that reality sinks in while I write this, the sadness of the loss is tempered only by the feelings of the joy that Fiona brought to my life, to the light she shined, to the love we shared. Rest in peace my dearest Fiona. You will live on forever in our hearts.