Hello all,
Robin died peacefully in her sleep last night. She had faded rapidly over the weekend, and was mostly unconscious this week; but she did smile occasionally - when she saw a familiar face, or when we turned the lights on the Christmas tree.
Thank you all for your love and support: this has sustained Robin and all of us over many months.
We will be posting information on this blog regarding the memorial service and other events shortly.
Love to all
Geoff and family.
16 comments:
I love you all
Thank you Geoff, Ada, Franck and Colleen for being with my sister. She would be so grateful and would feel secure having you at her side, in her home. Your braveness and tenderness are qualities that leave me speechless. Robin has been so important to ALL of us, and I know that we are going to miss her. I’ll carry her with me and celebrate her always – she would like that. Thank you also to Robin’s many many friends, the Oliver Clan, Mum and Dad, Gord, Bill, Linda, all of our relatives, for your added tenderness and support while we came to grips with this card that was played upon Robin. My dear sweet sister.
Lots of Love, Carrie
No words. Just prayers, for all of you.
- (cousin) Nancy, with love
Geoff, Ada and Franck,
I cried most of the night. I have no words for the loss I am feeling at this time. My heart is with the three of you. I do not really know what you are experiencing at this time, but know my love and compassion for Robin extends to you. If there is anything I can do for you out this way, let me know. For example, phone calls to friends etc...
With profound sadness,
Leesa
Robin showed inspiring grace and courage and spirit to the end. Geoff, Ada and Franck you accompanied her so lovingly through it all. We are deeply saddened by this news and our hearts and thoughts go out to you and other family and close friends.
Brian and Lee
Geoff, Ada and Franck,
We are saddenned to hear of the passing of Robin and would like to pass on our sympathies and condolences. Having her home till the very end and surrounded by her loved ones is the best that anyone can hope for at the very end.We are very priveledged to have had the chance to get to know her and the rest of the family. The courage and disire to live life to the fullest dispite all obstacles was truly one of Robin's inspirational traits. We will miss her dearly but her memories will live on. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help out as we know this is a difficult time.
The Goldings
Goeff, Ada and Franck:
The world has lost a wonderful light. There are no real words...
Tamara and family
We are so saddened to hear this news and our hearts go out to you, Geoff, Ada, and Franck. It's impossible to remember Robin without thinking of her beautiful smile and generous spirit. Please call us if there is anything we can do to help over the next while.
Terri and Richard
So very sorry to hear this, Geoff. It sounds like you all made the very best of this sad situation and you are certainly models of grace, strength and commitment not to mention a fair dose of humour and love. Congratulations to you who supported her throughout this transition and may sleep and peace be your reward so that you can gather yourselves to continue a different life now.
Our thoughts are with you
Win L-S, Bob, Wes, Alana (the latter of whom still have very fond memories of a great party in Ottawa 18 months ago!!)
I'm so saddened to hear this sad news of your sister Robin, Carrie. With my heartfelt condolences. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Please keep Robin alive in your heart. She will always be with you in spirit.
With love,
Big hug to you Carrie!
Chinh
We are so sad to hear the news. I will always remember Robin's kindness and warmth and the sound of her lovely laugh that made you feel good immediately. Mausumi and Family
Geoff, Ada and Franck, we are so saddened to hear the news about Robin. We remember the last time you were over in the summer; Robin radiated such a positive attitude and selfless concern for others. Her outlook throughout this hardship was inspiring. Your family is an example to all of us - strong, loving and considerate. We know these strengths will serve you well in this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.
Rina, Alex and Family.
We are saddened by this news. Robin was a fighter - for herself, for her family and for a better world. It was always a pleasure to work with Robin and the world has lost a dedicated social policy analyst and advocate, who did her job calmly (most of the time!) and with grace and much cheerfulness.
Our thoughts are with you.
Brenda and François
Apparently some people, who have wanted to post comments, have struggled with the process, so I'm adding this note so they can also take part.
1. Add your message in Post a Comment
2. In the "Select profile" dropdown, select Anonymous
3. Click Publish
4. Then, as I recall, you have to type the word(s) exactly as written in Word verification (it's case-sensitive)
5. Then there is probably another Publish button to click
The way Robin faced life and death was impeccable.
Comet Lovejoy
On December 16, 2011 a very unusual astronomical event occurred. I received word about it in an email from NASA, and when I read about it and saw the videos, I just said Wow! since it corresponded with our Robin’s passing. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would share this with you all, but as time has gone by, the urge is still there and I’m still saying Wow, so I’m including excerpts from this information from NASA. I really hope you’ll be saying Wow too:
COMET LOVEJOY PLUNGES INTO THE SUN AND SURVIVES
Dec. 16, 2011: This morning, an armada of spacecraft witnessed something that many experts thought impossible. Comet Lovejoy flew through the hot atmosphere of the sun and emerged intact [Note: this is not supposed to happen.].
"It's absolutely astounding," says Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. "I did not think the comet's icy core was big enough to survive plunging through the several million degree solar corona for close to an hour, but Comet Lovejoy is still with us."
The comet's close encounter was recorded by at least five spacecraft: NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory and twin STEREO probes, Europe's Proba2 microsatellite, and the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The most dramatic footage so far comes from SDO, which saw the comet go in (see movie at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/16dec_cometlovejoy/) and then come back out again (see movie at http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2011/12/16/lovejoyemerges.m4v).
In the SDO movies, the comet's tail wriggles wildly [Note: This is also apparently very unusual.] as the comet plunges through the sun's hot atmosphere only 120,000 km above the stellar surface………"This is all new," says Battams. "SDO is giving us our first look at comets travelling through the sun's atmosphere. How the two interact is cutting-edge research."
SOHO and NASA's twin STEREO probes are monitoring the comet as it recedes from the sun. It is still very bright and should remain in range of the spacecrafts' cameras for several days to come. Researchers will be watching closely, because there a good chance for more surprises.
"There is still a possibility that Comet Lovejoy will start to fragment," continues Battams. "It’s been through a tremendously traumatic event; structurally, it could be extremely weak. On the other hand, it could hold itself together and disappear back into the recesses of the solar system." [Note: It did hold itself together, yet another unusual occurrence.]
"It's hard to say," agrees Knight. "There has been so little work on what happens to sungrazing comets after perihelion (closest approach). This continues to be fascinating.”
One image from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory shows Comet Lovejoy receding from the sun after its close encounter. The horizontal lines through the comet's nucleus are digital artifacts caused by saturation of the detector; Lovejoy is that bright! [movie at http://science.nasa.gov/media/medialibrary/2011/12/16/lovejoy_c3_anim2.gif]
The tails of some of the major sungrazing comets have been extraordinarily bright. Comet Lovejoy's apparition has been so bizarre up to this point that it is difficult to anticipate just what might happen next ... [including] the exact sort of tail it might unfurl in the morning sky.
[Wish I could have included a couple of photos, but I guess that's only available to the owners of this blog, but you can see them if you go to the websites listed in this post. And what a name for the comet, yes?]
- posted by [cousin] Nancy
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