When you think of Liz what comes to your mind? Is it her beautiful, radiant smile that lights up the room, or is it her kind, gentle eyes that make you feel at ease? It might even be her quiet, loving, caring nature that she touched so many lives with. What ever it is, Liz was a beautiful person inside and out and a lover of all things GOOD and RIGHT! Anyone that knew her was blessed to have her in their lives.
I met Liz more than 35 years ago at a small daycare in Kitchener Waterloo. We both had early childhood education and this was our first endeavour together as colleagues. When I first met her I thought she was too beautiful and too popular to be my friend. Liz was a little afraid of me because of my outspoken and outgoing personality. As it turned out we became instant friends. Throughout our twenties we followed each other around from one teaching job to another. Four of them to be exact. Along the way we met 3 other colleagues, Pat, Dana and Beth and, as a group, we became the "yearly lunch ladies." We were so fortunate that Liz braved her final lunch with us this past June even though she really wasn’t feeling well that day.
Liz also introduced me to her high school friend Anne and from that point on the three of us did almost everything together. We frequented bars (for the dancing of course), we went camping and we shopped till we dropped. Did I tell you Liz loved to SHOP? One of her favourite things to do was to buy a lot of things and then return most of them. Liz also loved music and concerts. Did I tell you she loved Elton John? She once posed in front of a picture of Burton Cummings and tried to pass it off as the real deal on Facebook. Our girls weekends started over the years. once our lives got busier. Liz, Anne and I would meet at some hotel or at Liz's place and we would spend a couple of nights just chatting, watching movies. and just enjoying each others company.
When you had a friendship with Liz it was genuine. You felt supported, loved, heard and like you were the only friend that mattered when you were with her. Even though Liz mixed up our names all the time it was understandable when our names are so similar; Sheila, Sheryl , Shannon, Shirley... and Anne. But she knew us all as individuals in her heart! She was so much fun to be with, like the time she got pulled over for speeding and her response was "sorry officer I was grooving to the tunes ". He smiled at that and sent us on our way with just a warning to turn down the radio.
Even though we had so many great memories in our twenties Liz endured many hardships in her thirties. One of them was to lose her own mother to a fight with breast cancer. She took time off work to care for her mother until her final days. It was 29 years ago on October 15th when Liz's mother passed away. Then nine months later she would witness the death of her father from a heart attack on the way home from vacationing at Virginia Beach. Liz’s grief was insurmountable and with the love and support of her two brothers Paul and John and closest friends, she was able to overcome her sadness in time. Then she met Rav and they fell in love, got married and they moved to Mississauga.
I did not see her as much then but she slowly made a new circle of friends in her neighbourhood. In no time at all Liz gave birth to two beautiful children, Michelle and Ryan and her devotion and love for them was so strong . They were her whole world and they made her so happy. The horrific news came when she was 39 that she too had breast cancer. She endured radical treatments and surgeries, but felt that she had to beat this disease for her family. She would not let it interfere with her life.
Liz was very talented and creative and she kept herself very busy over the years to help earn a little money here and there. She loved scrapbooking and became a consultant. She made many books for other people to enjoy and I will always treasure the one she made for me on my 50th birthday. She loved jewellery, making it and eventually became a consultant for Silpata. I think Liz was her own best costumers. She also worked in primary schools testing young children's hearing until she no longer could carry the heavy equipment.
Then in her 49th year, Liz found out that the cancer had returned once again in her bones. She then spent the last ten years fighting this disease, going through various chemo treatments and radiation . She never complained much and she suffered quietly. Her backyard was always her sanctuary where she could escape to be one with nature. She loved all the birds and various plants around her pool. She would often meditate there and enjoy bringing all her friends and family to that very spot that made her happy. She would marvel over two doves that would come and visit her on a regular basis and she would always say that was her mom and dad watching over her.
This final year was a tough one for Liz and she decided she wanted to stop all treatments and live out the rest of her life free from hospital visits and chemo. She still continued to do the things she loved, like going to concerts and plays with her dear friends, going on a vacation with her family, and spending many days visiting with relatives and friends right to her final moments. In turn Michelle, Ryan and Rav took care of her until her last breath. Their love and devotion for her was very apparent. When I think of Liz she is one of the strongest, bravest, loving, kind and gentle persons that I have had the honour and privilege to have in my life. Her life was cut too short but her goodness and the memory of her will live on forever. And perhaps she will visit in her backyard sanctuary as a third dove watching over us all. Rest In Peace my friend.
I will always love you!
Shirley Findeis
