Monday the 10th of March 2003
would become a dramatic and tragic day …
obituary announcement
“the Jewel in my life has gone
|
maaike_s@yahoo.com
Even more impressively, the utilization of the English language is both faultless and perfectly native speaker idiomatic.
There aren’t even the usual translation
glitches with which we are so familiar. The only major grammatical
errors seen dealt with the use (or, in this case, non-use) of commas. I
would be hard pressed to do better. What does this girl have ... a magic language formula? A special
tonic? Wherever it is, we should get ahold of the recipe and patent it. I
could use it. |
At the start of the evening she went out to celebrate her success at
her favourite restaurant, but her dreams were to end in a nightmare. At
about 21.20 hrs. she crossed the Avenue López Mateos, as usual on the
pedestrian crossing, to catch the bus on the other side that would take
her home and to her boyfriend Javier. She never stood a chance against
the pick-up car. It was this type of car that made it fatal. She
immediately fell into a deep coma and battled for her life for five
hours before slipping away in Javier’s arms.
‘Sunflower’ was the
first Dutch word she translated for him, and that’s how he’ll always
remember her - his ‘Sunflower’. And this Sunflower was inspiring to
everyone and loyal to all her friends - harmonious, creative in so many
ways and always a great 'builder of bridges'.
After the sudden
death of her mother in 1990, she set up ‘team the barrier breakers’: an
imaginary team that would break through the barrier of sorrow caused by
this immense loss, and turn it into a positive force. In the years that
followed we worked together to create a new foundation for her life.
With her infectious enthusiasm and zest for life, her positive attitude
and her dedication, she left an indelible mark on so many people - so
unforgettable, so full of life: “… what! Maaike dead?! Impossible, she
can’t be …”
She loved a challenge, travelling and spending a year
living on her own in Barcelona - her ‘second home’ - when she was only
17. In Mexico I saw for myself how dear she was to só many people - the
church was filled with grief-stricken friends.
She died on one of
the very best days of her life in a moment of euphoria with a smile on
her face. An eager, bright and young butterfly has fluttered from the
sky into a sea … she became only 23, a truly remarkable person in all
respects. This loss is so, so terrible painful to bear.
we always will remember Maaike Joyce with deep respect and so much love
Guadalajara (Mexico), the 11th of March 2003,
Jacques, her father
to allow children to study or to continue studying on a permanent basis is our objective
the Maaike-Joyce Foundation