I lost a 93yr old young friend

last week. As she had a heart condition it was not unexpected but it was, and is, still one of those things I did not want to happen. This is all purely selfish of me. E... was no longer well enough to enjoy life.

I know that because I had not heard from her since November, early November. This was not like E... 

E... and I first got to know each other many years ago. At the time she was President of a group we both belonged to. I liked her instantly. E... ran a good meeting. She was efficient, well prepared, in control and able to get volunteers for everything. Along the way we all had a laugh as well. 

I have been to enough meetings in my life to know how rare that is. E... had been a junior primary school principal and was, as she put it to me later, "experienced in at least trying to herd cats". She certainly knew about herding other things like sheep. Perhaps that helped.

Under her guidance the organisation did things. They ran all sorts of activities and went places. I wondered what would happen when her term as President came to an end. 

In typical E... fashion she managed the transition. She was there to support the new President in the early stages but she did it without interfering. She continued to volunteer to do things. There was a trip to another state that I always regret I could not go on because it was mentioned more than once in later years. It had been good fun, well organised and those who went had been surprised at how much more they had done than they had expected to do. That was E... all over. Perhaps that was the teacher in her, "I can get them to learn that along the way."

We went through more Presidents. E... was always there in the background. Her knowledge and experience was invaluable. Things changed as things invariably do change. E... embraced things like the mobile phone and the computer. Email meant she could get me to send her "things I need to know". 

We both left the group but, about once a month, E... would phone me. There would always be something she wanted to know. If the detail got too much for her past the age of 90 she would cheerfully tell me, "We won't go into that...there's something else I need to know". I loved her "having conniptions" and "now I was thinking and you are the only person who will know..." We talked about all sorts of things until she grew tired.

E... got on well with the Senior Cat although they only ever met by phone conversation. He used to say he would have liked to have her as his deputy in school...very high praise from him. Perhaps they are now plotting woodwork and knitting classes somewhere else.