I’ve been in London, England for a couple of weeks now, joining my in-laws at the bedside of my mother-in-law, Rose, as she neared the end of her life. She was surrounded by family and the air permeated with love and concern for her well being and comfort. Sadly, she passed away last Sunday, on the holiday of Mother’s Day in England.

We love her so much that in fact, our little Border Terrier, Rosie, is named for her. To be honest, when Rosie came into our lives in 1996, she was already named, but we kept the name in honor of Alan’s mother. As my mind has wandered over the last week, I’ve thought of Rosie a lot. She’s staying with family in Texas while we are away because she too, is getting on in years and we wanted to make sure she was closely looked after. Our other dogs, Rebel and Baxter, are at “doggie camp,” a boarding kennel in Burleson.

Rose (Mum) and Rosie may be two different species, but interestingly, have some similar characteristics. They were both born in England, Mum in the East End of London and Rosie on a farm in Cambridge. Mum spent part of her youth on a farm as well during the war when the children of London were sent to live with families in the country to escape the constant bombing in London.

Border Terriers are bred to be of hearty stock. They are small, sturdy dogs used as working terriers on the English/Scottish Borders hunting foxes which preyed on livestock. Once the fox has been run underground, the Border Terriers go down after them. They are independent and can be stubborn but a great member of the family, affectionate and loyal. Rosie loves to play and go for walks. She has a good sense of humor and I swear we can see her smiling at times. Her only real quirks are that she gets sick if fed fatty or spicy foods and is absolutely terrified of thunder storms. Rosie is a real sweetheart of a dog.

Mum also comes from hearty stock. Hailing from the East End of London, she went to work at age 14 while taking care of her two sisters and two brothers for years when they lived away from their parents during the war. She continued to work hard throughout her life and kept a lovely house, enjoyed a good laugh and always ensured that those around her were comfortable and well fed. Mum also loved to go for long walks and has never driven a car, though she was once hit by a bus! Like Rosie, she has a few quirks too. She’s not much on spicy or fatty foods and is superstitious about a lot of things. She was a real sweetheart of a woman.

Both are fierce fighters with amazing determination. Rosie has survived many near death illnesses. Mum fought her illness to her very last breath.

Shakespeare wrote, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This means that what matters is what something is, not what it is called. But I believe that Mum represents her name well. She was as fragrant as a flower and during her life she blossomed into a beautiful woman, devoted wife of 52 years, loving mother of two and grandmother of three, daughter, sister, sweet auntie and a remarkable human being. She may be gone, but will never be forgotten.

In loving memory of Rose Rebecca Cook , 1930 – 2008.