Goodbye to Jane

Thank you not goodbye
“Au Revoir”, “Adios”, “Tchau”, “Auf Wiedershen”, “Zai Jian”…. Good bye is the saddest word in any language. So I’d like to take this moment to NOT say good bye. But rather, to say “Merci”, “Gracias”, “obrigado”, “Danke”, “Xie Xie (shieu shieu), “Thank you”. I want to thank Jane for the power of her smile...
Jane was our overnight tech. I only saw Jane when I had worked late nights editing footage, or came in around 7:30 in the morning. And every time she remembered my name. She made it a point to say hello and always with a smile. Even if she had a 15 patients and half of them were Parvo- positive Puppies with blow out diarrhea. Still, after her stoke severely damaged her mobility, Jane always met me with that sweet, warm, eye crinkled and flushed cheeked smile. And then my day always went the way the corners of my mouth turned. Up. Her positive countenance easily made everyone around her feel comfortable.  
And I may not have known her as closely as others, but I will always remember that she made me feel like I did. Jane was welcoming, warm, and cheerful. She made the difference in my day. I will miss her presence. I know her sense of humor would get the following joke: “If she decided to haunt the SF SPCA, I could think of no ghost better for the job.” Jane loved taking care of her patients, no matter the challenges she faced doing it, she always found a way to give the most complete and compassionate care she was capable of. And even if she chooses not to linger here, the memory of her smile and her passion have left their mark on all of us here tonight. 
It is hard not to have more than a soft spot for our Sweet, Polite, Smiley, Compassionate, Steadfast, Persevering, and Quirky Jane Purser. And so we grieve her because grief is all the extra love with no other place to go. Let’s turn that extra love in the same direction Jane turned hers- to our patients and to each other. 
Thank you Jane Purser. 

Theresa 

Tags: happy, sad, love, humor,