[ΦTΣ] We will miss one of our best people

[Lee, Ken]

A butterfly on the door
Written 22 hours ago by elizabeth fennema
Greetings!  This morning the hospice team put a picture of a butterfly on Owen's door. This told Hospice workers that the person inside the room had passed away.   If I could send you a butterfly, I would as it could signal more softly than I can that Owen passed about 11:00 am.  I was with him, talking to him about our 64 years of marriage, and he very gently slipped away. As hard as it is to lose him, I am grateful that he is now without the pain that he has been living with for some months.
When Owen was first diagnosed with the cancer in his bones, I was reluctant to establish a CaringBridge site for him, feeling that it might be intrusive or the information "too personal" to share. Having now experienced the site through Owen's final journey, words cannot express the gratitude I feel to everyone who has posted notes for Owen and me. Initially, I printed the notes and Owen read them all.  Later, when he could no longer read, Karen read them to him (and occasionally Linda or me, if we could stop crying long enough to read). It would be difficult to overstate how much your caring and kind words have meant to the entire family, and to Owen and me in particular. This site has helped all of us become a virtual family in the last weeks,  tied together by our love and regard for Owen.I am immeasurably grateful to you for that.
We are planning a memorial service for him and will let you know time and other details.
Thank you for being our friends and expressing your love for Owen and us.  The messages have helped me accept his death. I believe that he will go in peace after a life well lived partially because of your expressed love for him.
In much appreciation and love.
Elizabeth
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/owenfennema/journal
The above caring bridge site was set up by Elizabeth Fennema and it is a simple matter to register if not already.  Owen Fennema was the reason I joined the faculty at the University of Wisconsin at Madison.  He inspired ten of my most productive years on that faculty and impressed me with his ability to bring out the best in everyone.  I note his passing here on the Phi Tau Sigma mailing list because he is the one I think of when we cite our society's goal of raising stature, honor and professionalism in the field of food science.  Owen will be forever missed.
-Ken Lee

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