This is a hard one.
Weeks after being diagnosed with brain cancer, my darling Baba died last Friday.
Here is my memorial tribute to her:
On October 20th, 2023, at the age of 85, our ever so tenacious matriarch Fay Forsyth peacefully departed this world and entered into eternal rest.
I take comfort in knowing that she is reunited with her sweetheart, my Pa Jim, as well as a treasured collection of beloved family and friends.
Born in the Kootenays in the tiny Doukhobor community of Shoreacres, Baba started out her life as ‘Florence’. A small town girl determined to branch out and choose her own life and adventures, she soon decided to take the name ‘Fay’. Given how she infused a sense of magic into every situation, a moniker meaning ‘fairy’ proved fitting for the effervescent woman she would become. To her grandchildren, she was simply ‘Baba’. A warm, safe place to land. With soft blue eyes that gleamed with a playful zest for life and a tad of good trouble, Baba filled our childhoods with endless fun, imaginative play, and an appreciation for nature. Being in her presence always felt like home.
Baba’s soft side shined through when she fondly recalled her years as a bus driver for disabled children. As with the story of little Eric, who loved her so much that he exclaimed, “kiss me baby, but don’t slobber!”
As fierce and shrewd as she was funny and tender, Baba wasn’t one to mess with. But when facing the storms of life, it was in her arms that we ultimately found comfort. Her sharp wit and incredible memory made her a masterful storyteller. She never let me forget how, at 9 months old, I was the first and only grandchild to tell her to shut up (‘ya yup’).
I’ll cherish each and every memory. Dancing (‘shake your tail feather, babs!’), bonfires, boat rides, and trips up the mountain. Homemade borscht and baba juice. That time we had a sleepover in the sunroom, and like usual, stayed up chatting into the wee hours.
Though her body is at rest, her soul is infinitely weaved into the fabric of my life. I have immense gratitude for all she gave and left behind. Such an omnipresent force she was, that it seemed as though she’d live forever. In a way, she always will.
Sleep peacefully, babaroo. It’s not goodbye forever. It’s just goodbye for now. You’ll always be my hummingbird.
Ya lyublyu tebya. 💜
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