MARIA JAGER If there was one person in this world you’d have wanted by your side in a fight, it was Maria Jager, who was – despite her diminutive stature and sweet smile – truly a force to be reckoned with. Maria was a warrior at heart, bringing a fiery passion and fierce resolve to everything she did in life throughout her 65 years on earth – especially when it came to matters of love and family. As her daughter, I benefited from her selflessness and unconditional love most of all. We didn’t have a ton of money growing up, a fact I was completely ignorant of until I was much older. This is because my parents, and especially my mom, worked tirelessly to ensure I never wanted or needed for anything, still somehow finding the time for attending my school plays and baseball games, cooking cupcakes for school functions and sleepovers, and playing games and reading with me. Being young and naïve, I believed her when she told me she never bought herself new things because she preferred the older ones, or that she didn’t like going out for dinner because food always tasted better at home. (On that last point, she was absolutely correct, as she was an amazing cook). She did all of these things effortlessly and with a genuine smile, because taking care of others – and especially her family – is what she loved most of all. Every trial I faced in life, I benefited from her wisdom and resilience, and the knowledge that she was always on my team, ready to support and guide me. She told me always to do good things and never to hurt anyone… but that if I did, she would help me get rid of the evidence. It was this humour and good nature that made her so lovable, and is surely part of the reason she made friends everywhere she went. It’s also one of the things that I, and those who cherished her, miss most now as we stand before the resounding emptiness where she once stood. On Wednesday, March 18, Maria Jager’s almost five year battle with Multiple Myeloma ended, with her family by her side. Despite tremendous obstacles along the way, she fought valiantly and with unparalleled grace and strength, overcoming and exceeding forecasts and expectations again and again. She held on for so long, she said, because she loved me and the rest of her family so much that she was determined to have as much time with us as possible. It is this strength, resilience and sheer will against insurmountable odds that she showed in every aspect of her life that remains as her legacy, and an inspiration to all her knew her; my mom was a superhero. Now, in the face of our grief at her passing, we draw on the love, compassion and fortitude with which she lived every single day of her life for comfort and inspiration. We remember the many lessons she taught us, so that through us, her love and memory will live on, always. Maria will be missed by all who knew her, and especially by her partner, Steve Hall; her daughter, Angela; her sisters, nieces and nephews, the rest of her family and friends, and her beloved pets. Maria was predeceased by her beloved husband Peter, her mother Angela, and her sister, Elizabeth. We thank from the bottom of our hearts Dr. Andrea Lee, and the team at the Oakville Cancer clinic for everything. As expressions of sympathy, memorial donations in memory of Maria Jager can be made to Myeloma Canada to help further Canadian cancer research. Letters of condolence, shared stories and memorial donations can be left for the family online at www.mckersie-kocher.ca