Jacqueline Marie-Jose Marguerite Mallet

Jacqueline Mallet died on March 23, 2008 (Easter Sunday) at 8:10 AM at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Toronto while I was by her bedside holding her hand.  By previous night she had receded into a coma and the transition from life to death seemed totally effortless with no sign of anguish or struggle.

Her suffering had increasingly worsened in the previous few months though she kept her fight on till the end with participating in an experimental drug treatment and being optimistic about the results.

Though she died at a relatively young age, she led a full and an accomplished life.  Born in Paris, France, Jacqueline came to Canada in the early 70’s without much knowledge of English.  Within a span of a few years she attended university and only took subjects taught in English.  She did her undergraduate degree from Victoria College, University of Toronto (U of T) and scored the highest Grade Point Average.  She then proceeded to do her Master’s degree in Political Sociology with her thesis on the problems of nationalism in the Soviet Union.  Meanwhile she also held a teaching position at U of T.  Much later she did another undergraduate degree in French / English translation from University of British Columbia.  In all these endeavours what amazed me the most was her extreme level of concentration, focus and diligence.

Jacqueline was an avid reader and took keen interest in the arts, music and other cultural activities.  Furthermore, she was a person of tremendous integrity and always meant what she said and said what she meant.  In her absolute frankness and honesty she only offended those who hid behind the curtain of falsehood and pretence.

As she belonged to no organized religion nor believed in an anthropomorphic god even during her latter days she faced death with frankness and her recent words to me were something as following; “Death, like everything else in life is an experience and I am going to make it a good experience.  We come from oblivion and go into oblivion so what is there to worry.”  She lived by these words bravely till the very end.

As per her wishes there was no religious or public funeral.  Jacqueline was cremated on Wednesday March 26, 2008 at 9 AM.

Though departed from us, Jacqueline will live in my heart and of many others as a symbol of love, bravery, truthfulness and decency.

In March 2010, after obtaining the necessary permission from the French government, I took her ashes to St. Malo, Brittany, France and there with her dearest  godmother Annick Foret and her children (Jacqueline’s first cousins) we spread her ashes in Parc des Corbieres, in an enclosed section with a couple of benches and canopied with lush greenery.  This particular spot also being a cliff faces the Atlantic Ocean with a view of the old town of St Malo to the right and Dinard to the left.   Knowing Jacqueline, she would have opted for the same spot if she was planning on a relaxing afternoon in a park with a nice book.

Many who love her, visit the park often, leave flowers for her and sit on one of the benches reminiscing of all the good times they shared with Jacqueline.

There is also a bench placed in memory of Jacqueline at 2323 Bloor Street West, Toronto by the Eclectic Gallery which she was so instrumental in designing and setting it up.