Fay's Final Rant

Remembering a Patriotic Firebrand

Dear readers,

Today, February 2nd, at approximately 2:45 AM, our dearest Fay breathed her final breath. She went peacefully in her sleep surrounded by people who loved her. Among her final requests was that we write a last blog for her friends and readers to let you all know of her passing and what you and her ‘rants’ meant to her.

As she lay in her hospital room, she was still the same Fay we all knew and loved. She’d studied the walls for hours, and upon a white board with her information, the nursing staff had made notes about her interests, among them was her favorite book—The Constitution. However, there was just one problem: they had failed to capitalize the ‘C’ in Constitution. A grievance she pointed out each time she was visited by her grandson and his wife.

As many of you likely know, Fay was born in Canada and immigrated to America. She truly believed in the American Dream and becoming a naturalized citizen was one of the proudest moments in her life. She loved this country with every fiber of her being and made sure this was known through every avenue available to her. Much to her delight, her second granddaughter was born on the 4th of July—her little Yankee Doodle Dandy. Every year for thirteen years she hand-sewed an American flag dress for the little girl to wear until she became old enough to voice her objections. 26 years later, your writer—that little Yankee Doodle Dandy—looks fondly on these memories and is grateful for every American-themed birthday she failed to appreciate at the time.

Underpinning this patriotic zeal was a deeply generous spirit. She loved her family and she gave all that she could give in the hopes that everyone might live their best lives. She always encouraged those around her to improve upon themselves, to always be curious, and to fight for what was right.

At her core, she was an optimist. She always believed that, with work, the world could be a better place. As times have gown dark in these recent years, she frequently received calls from relatives to despair at recent events, but she never gave in to pessimism—the struggle may be long and fraught—but as long as we pushed back and made some noise, we could take this world back.

She wrote this blog to share her views with the world and it became a vital outlet in her life. She talked often of her blog, the friends she made here, and how it gave her a social group whose importance only grew as it became increasingly difficult for her to leave her apartment. To put a point on it, this blog not only kept her sane—it kept her mind and whit razor sharp. We are deeply appreciative of her friends and readers who became so dear to her by the end.

She lived a full life and is survived by her cat, Calliope, her grandchildren, and all of you.

Thank you for being there and stay hopeful, stay angry, and keep the rants coming.