“To Englishmen,
life is a topic,
not an activity”

~ William Henry Harrison
9th US president
Born on: 9th February 1773

Porte Ponderings:

Yesterday a friend told me our mutual friend, Sue Gibson passed on January 15th, 2026 from lung cancer. Knowing Sue she wouldn’t have wanted a funeral or even an obituary.

Sue Gibson enriched my life and that of my family.

She was an amazing co-worker. We conquered several projects together. We had breakfast together at work. We took all our smoke breaks together, even after I quit smoking. We talked about our children and husbands and families. We went out for lunch and supper together. We went to Weight Watchers together. We even played golf together (one best ball tournament with our husbands as well).

She invited me and my children to her family’s cottage on Oxbow Lake, adjacent to Algonquin Park. She had an inflatable dragon at the dock that Ed loved to lounge on. We went on long walks with my sons at Algonquin Park. We retrieved the floating dock when it drifted down the lake. We rowed beside my sons as they swam across Oxbow Lake so they could pass the test to take the boat out.

The “Summer Vacation” continued as she rented the cottage to me and my sisters for several years. It was an amazing magical place. A break from the everyday routines and a chance to connect.

Sue and I laughed together.

I loved her unique sense of humour, perspective and her ability to help ground me during tough times.

I loved hearing about her annual adventures to Mexico when she retired, and her move to Gibson’s British Columbia to be near her children.

The last time I saw her in person she was travelling through Ontario I was lucky enough to join her for lunch.