I'll Miss You Muriel

When I came into work today, I found out that one of my co-workers died last night. Her name was Muriel. She was the only person left in this department who was here before I came to work here. She worked here as a clerk, just 15 hours per week, a little job to keep her busy and in the community. She was one of those women who was a sort of pillar of the community, very involved with her children's schools through the years, working on the Coordinating Council, volunteering on the Library Board. She was also the heart of her family, which includes a husband, three children and five grandchildren. She was only 65 years old, but had been in poor health quite a bit over the past few years. This most recent hospitalization was due to a leg wound which hadn't healed properly. She got a series of infections, fell into a coma, and finally passed last night.

I don't believe I ever talked about Muriel here. Probably because she was so sweet and quiet that I would never make fun of her as I do my other co-workers. She had the most beautiful smile and was never anything but kind. Here at work she did an assortment of clerical tasks. Most importantly, she used her ties within the community to do the difficult task of fundraising for our Summer Reading Program. While we were hastily assured that we'd be able to keep her position, as it is negligable within the budget, there is a great feeling of 'why bother?' No one is going to be able to do what Muriel did. I am going to miss her so much.

This picture is from about four years ago. Muriel is on your right. Can't you just see how sweet she was? She made everyone want to be a nicer person. Good bye, Muriel.