This morning, for the first time in my trip i have some time to do
nothing... just relaxing under the sun of Mexico, in Villa Corona, south of
Guadalajara. Wile reading some post, i stumble on your post... i felt sad
inside.

I will write here, maybe i should write to you in person.. but like you
said, we are kind of a big family.

I have met you in person last September, i was glad finally to meet THE
Malcom. Sadly, I didn't met your wife. In our very short meeting i have seen
some sadness in your eyes, i didn't know what or why. I don't know if i was
also right. Anyway, i have no words that could help you feel better. I have
been there myself (my dad) and only time will heal you and the people in
your surrounding.

I just hope you will have the energy and the will to continue your dreams of
travel/project. I hope that in some ways, you will find happiness. It is a
sad news.
I don't know you much, but enough to see that your are a great human being.

I wish that you could be with me now, i would try to make you feel good.

I'm sure that no one knows here (in our small travel group), i will tell
them, everyone know you from the list.

Feel free to write to me if you feel like it. All i can do is send you some
warm energy and sun from where i am. I have a tear in my eyes wile writing this.

My most sincere condolence.

Ben
http://www.benplace.com/mexico2008.htm

On Fri, 7 Dec 2007 16:35:05 -0800, Malcolm Stebbins <mwstebbins@YAHOO.COM>
wrote:

>Please forgive me, but on Fridays we sometimes share personal issues on
this vanagon list as over
>the many years, we have become like family.
>
>It is with great sadness, I inform you all that after a 16 month battle
with cancer, my wife
>Patricia Baker died last Saturday evening at the palliative care unit of
Halifax's Victoria
>General Hospital.  She died peacefully, surrounded by family and friends.
She was 52!
>
>As all who knew Pat will understand, she showed great strength of character
throughout this whole
>ordeal; never angry, never bitter, always accommodating, and always
thinking of others needs
>before her own.  Patricia will be greatly missed by many people.
>
>Patricia was smart (4.0 GPA for all of her Bachelor's, Master's and
Doctorate degrees), well
>respected professionally (awarded the Sarah Shorten award by our Canadian
Assoc. of University
>Teachers), she was 3 year president of our University Faculty Assoc. and a
published author. She
>was kind, loving, selfless, self-deprecating, and absolutely scrupulous.
We had one of those rare
>�soul-mate� or �kindred spirit� relationships that most people can only
hope for.
>
>For this list; Pat took to Westy camping like a duck to water. During our
16 years together, she
>was with me through 2 vans:  a 1986 French syncro westy that we bought in
Morocco and drove all
>over Morocco and 3 trips throughout Europe.  Then came my 1991 syncro westy
that we shipped to
>Egypt and, during the year that we were there, drove all over Egypt. As if
that was not enough, we
>then drove the van from Cairo to Amsterdam; though Jordan, Syria, Turkey,
Greece, and up through
>Europe, 11 weeks and 10,000 kms.  We also made 2 Canadian coast-to-coast trips.
>
>As a visual tribute to Pat, there are a few photos at:
>http://picasaweb.google.com/mstebbins/PresentPat  Some are of Pat & the vans.
>
>I thought long and hard about posting this, and I realized that what I
really wanted to say is
>that next time your van breaks down, don`t get angry, at least wife is
THERE to yell at you.  :-)
>
>
>Malcolm (Halifax, NS)
>
>
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
>Looking for last minute shopping deals?
>Find them fast with Yahoo! Search.
http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping