Michelle Jelley
To hear about the passing of my beloved auntie Linda broke me to pieces. I remember when I was a child, and how I wanted to show her all of my toys because of how excited she got... even though I'm pretty sure she saw the same toys over and over again. There was something about my aunt that was so special and that we just had this bond that even we couldn't define, no matter how often we talked about it. Two years ago when I went to see her in Maryland, it was the first time in years. I remember her laugh, how beautiful she was and that "look" she gave that made me smile every time. There was one night in Maryland where we talked about life, our struggles and how much we loved each other, and I will never forget that. Auntie Linda is the biggest reason why I do social work today - her unconditional love and care for people around her was contagious and she was my inspiration. She always knew the right things to say, and supported me through my professional and personal development. I do what I do today because of her, and I will always be grateful to have an aunt as wonderful as her. My condolences to my cousins Dean, John and Iris, my uncle George, her grandchildren and all her friends/coworkers that she loved along the way.