Our sister, Denise, passed away January 10, 2006. She was our rock after the passing of our parents. She was my mom’s primary caretaker after the passing of our Dad. There wasn’t anything about Mom that she didn’t know, from her likes and dislikes to all her medical history, past and present. She was Mom’s advocate and her voice, she made the doctors and nurses stand back and take notice. She was always there to look after Mom’s best interest.

She was an avid reader. She had a T-shirt that said “SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME”. She always had a book with her. She was an enthusiastic volunteer at the library near her home. She was a welcomed volunteer but little did they know, it was more for Denise’s enjoyment being in the presence of all those books!

She was a true Detroit Red Wings fan. She knew all the ins and outs about hockey and followed the team religiously. We had taken a trip to Toronto to the Hockey Hall of Fame and she had her picture taken with the Stanley Cup after the Red Wings had won. She kept that picture on her desk at work. She knew everything about each player and could tell you anything you wanted to know about the team. Her last request was to have her ashes spread over Hockey Town.

She was the kind of sister that when something exciting happened or you needed to know something she was the first person that came to mind to call. She was there for everyone whether it was a niece’s dance recital, baseball game, birthday party or helping out after the loss of relative. Even after she had passed away when something happened the first thing that came to your mind was “I have to call and tell Denise”.

She was famous for the baby quilts she would embroider for new babies in the family. Brothers, sisters, nieces, cousins and friends all had a sample of her work.

The sweet memories of times together are her apple pies at a family get togethers, the way she could toss a 16 pound bowling ball down the alley, the way she could toss the baseball completely over the house without touching the roof and of course the loud words while watching a hockey game “AND HE SCORES!”

I miss my sister, my friend.