Vicky

Today was a sad day, it was Vicky's funeral.  Vicky and I worked on the same team at Mackenzie Financial for a few years before I left on my life-long maternity leave.  We spent countless hours together working on the same team, managing scheduling, preparing for events and presentations and attending numerous functions.  My colleagues at Mackenzie still feel like family to me, even to this day.

I was so deeply saddened to hear of her sudden passing at the tender age of 30.  The world has lost a bright star.  Vicky was insanely intelligent, funny, articulate, creative, artistic and always a little crazy.  We were, by most measures, polar opposites, but yet somehow we still managed to get along so well and successfully worked together for many years.

I will never forget one of the kindest gestures that anyone ever did for me was at the hands of Vicky.  She and I, along with a number of other colleagues took a Powerpoint day course together one fall.  As our final project at the end of the day, we had to create a Powerpoint presentation using all of the skills and tools that we had just learned.  Vicky made a stunning presentation entitled "Why is Susan so Happy all the time?"

It was hillarious!  Filled with graphs and moving icons and set to music to boot!  She was talented and used her humour and wit to make the most amazing presentation all about me!

Not only did she play the presentation for the class that day, but shared it with our entire office in the boardroom over lunch one day.  I laughed so hard that I literally had tears running down my face, it amazed me at how much she knew about me!

So this afternoon, under a blazing hot summer sun, my friend Mandy and I stood at the back of a packed out funeral hall to say goodbye to the amazing Vicky and to have the chance to tell her family how much she meant to us and how much we enjoyed working with her.

Rest in peace Vicky, we loved you, thank you for always making our world a happier place to be.