Goodnight to the Sweetest, Fiercest Animal Goddess

My daughter teaching Susie about some new tech

 Last night, yes, on Christmas eve, we lost my mother-in-law, Susie.  She had been declining for the past two years, so this came as no surprise, but, of course, hurts quite a bit.  The last few years have been tough on her as Susie made it clear she didn't want to move to anything approaching a nursing home.  She had been so independent for so long, living on her own since the divorce something like 30 years ago, just her and her ravenous pack of squirrels that she fed daily.

When I first met Susie, she worked at an animal shelter, and it was clear she enjoyed the company of animals.  I heard stories of various baby animals being fed at her home as my wife grew up.  Late in life this turned into feeding the squirrels outside her home.  They loved her, well, sort of, as they also chewed through some of the lines in her car.  Anyhow, she was easy to buy gifts for--shirts and sweatshirts with animals on them.

Susie was dedicated to her two daughters, imparting upon them a love for animals and a fierceness deployed to defend those who faced some kind of challenge.  Despite being of modest means, she gave so much to my sister-in-law when the latter needed it. 

Family was everything to Susie, so she put up
with my mid-meal pics.

 Over the years, I saw Susie every year at the holidays, she got used to my winterfest ways--of hanging out on my computer and binging tv marathons.  She was not much of a cook, so she was happy to have me take over her kitchen.  She loved razzing me about my quirks and she put up well with my return fire.  And she was patient when we dragged her out to the movies every winterfest.

Susie was a bit of a paradox--she was a bit of a hermit who didn't like crowds or hanging out with people, but she was so incredibly sweet to everyone she met.  She was so very kind to every clerk, every salesperson, everyone she encountered.  She hated driving on the highways and she hated all drivers, so she would sit in the back seat of my car marveling at my patience with the other drivers as we would go on the long treks from suburban Maryland to rural Virginia to see her other daughter.  

Susie even put up with the SW sequels. 
A very patient hermit.

Life could have been kinder to Susie, but she never developed any malice to those around her.  For someone who did not really other people that much, she was full of love to those closest to her.  She let me into her family, and for that I will always be most grateful.  Susie will be greatly missed even if her nagging about the various items on her winterfest prep list will not.