Jan Cusick – eulogy from Jennifer Lai My mother made friends easily. Maybe it was all those years in the foreign service, or maybe it was a deep-seated desire to connect with people. She did start calling everyone “dear” at a certain age, but she could get away with it. Mom would strike up conversations everywhere she went; with people at the check-out lane in supermarkets, with salespeople who rang her doorbell, and certainly with all the wonderful people who became friends in Santa Rosa. She loved getting out of the house and being active. When I would call her on weekends to check-in, she would tell me about her day and all she had done, and just hearing about it would make me tired. I don’t know where she found the energy to do it all, and there were times when she did mention that she felt tired. No wonder, I would exclaim. But she loved the courses and talks she attended, and tried to never miss the opportunity to get together with friends in her writers group, or her sessions practicing French. She went to the movies every Sunday at Oakmont and usually attended the symposium before that. Often she would not even take the time to eat lunch, which of course we all fussed about. The evacuations were incredibly hard on her. Not surprising, as these would be very stressful and taxing at any age. The first and longest one, she was with a friend, and when the hotel where they were staying was evacuated, they went together to her friend’s daughter's house. The most recent evacuation most likely contributed to her passing. She was very worried and afraid leading up to the evacuation, and once she was safely at a hotel thanks to Julie who picked her up, she was still struggling. She mentioned that she felt like she had an elephant sitting on her chest which had us worrying about a heart attack. My sisters drove the 9 hours up to Santa Rosa to be with her and help her move back into the house. The specter of another evacuation haunted her, and when we would chat, she would have us check all the weather reports and fire alerts so that she could sleep through the night. No amount of reassuring seemed to help. In the end, it may have been a heart attack that took her from us. But she went out quickly and was able to live her life exactly as she wanted it up until the very last day. She loved her independence and loved living in her house. She would sit in her favorite chair looking out at the golf course and give me reports on the golfers, deer, or squirrels that wandered by her moving picture show. We will all miss her, but she lived a good life full of adventure, with a husband that cherished her and who will be there to greet her in the land where spirits go after this life. She loved her wine too, so we should all raise a glass to her memory. Here’s to you Mom – smile down upon us. A bientot.