![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Memorial for a co-worker
May. 12th, 2009 12:41 pmThanks to those of you who left comments of love and condolences on my post about the death of Sharee's mom. I've passed all of those along to Sharee.
By a strange twist of fate today was the memorial for Susana, a co-worker who died of complications from lupus two months ago. Her parents, brother, and sister brought a ton of food to the memorial. They are of Filipino descent, so it was lumpia, pancit, and chicken adobo, with cake and creme brulee for dessert. Wonderful food. To be honest, I was a little unsure why the family wanted to hold a memorial for Susana's co-workers. The only other time I can remember a memorial for a co-worker was when Bruce was murdered many years ago, and that seemed like an attempt to deal with the abruptness of the loss. However, Susana's father made some comments that clarified things a bit. He thanked everyone who had donated leave time when Susana was no longer able to come to work, and I was reminded that Susana had been in and out of work since she showed the first signs of lupus several years ago. The University and the Office of the Registrar did a lot to accommodate her illness, and I'm sure her family appreciated that. This was their way of saying thanks.
I didn't know Susana very well on a personal level, but I learned a lot from her on the job, particularly when I moved into Data Management. She was very smart, and she was a real sweetheart too, even while suffering the difficulties caused by the lupus. I was in the Dominican Republic when she died, so it was good to take a moment from the mundane workday to remember her and to think about the loss to her family. The tears of some of my co-workers who knew her better told me they appreciated it too. I told Susana's father that his daughter was a wonderful human being who taught me a lot, but it seemed inadequate. I suppose all words seem inadequate in the face of such a loss.
By a strange twist of fate today was the memorial for Susana, a co-worker who died of complications from lupus two months ago. Her parents, brother, and sister brought a ton of food to the memorial. They are of Filipino descent, so it was lumpia, pancit, and chicken adobo, with cake and creme brulee for dessert. Wonderful food. To be honest, I was a little unsure why the family wanted to hold a memorial for Susana's co-workers. The only other time I can remember a memorial for a co-worker was when Bruce was murdered many years ago, and that seemed like an attempt to deal with the abruptness of the loss. However, Susana's father made some comments that clarified things a bit. He thanked everyone who had donated leave time when Susana was no longer able to come to work, and I was reminded that Susana had been in and out of work since she showed the first signs of lupus several years ago. The University and the Office of the Registrar did a lot to accommodate her illness, and I'm sure her family appreciated that. This was their way of saying thanks.
I didn't know Susana very well on a personal level, but I learned a lot from her on the job, particularly when I moved into Data Management. She was very smart, and she was a real sweetheart too, even while suffering the difficulties caused by the lupus. I was in the Dominican Republic when she died, so it was good to take a moment from the mundane workday to remember her and to think about the loss to her family. The tears of some of my co-workers who knew her better told me they appreciated it too. I told Susana's father that his daughter was a wonderful human being who taught me a lot, but it seemed inadequate. I suppose all words seem inadequate in the face of such a loss.
