FAMILY REMEMBRANCE FOR EMMA BAILEY - MAY 30, 1983 - MAY 21, 2007

The following was written by Emma's sister Jenna and her family - father Robert, mother Janet, brothers James and Jim and sister Kate. It was delivered at Emma's Mass of Christian Burial on May 30, 2007.

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On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to thank everyone for coming and for all of the support we have been given during this difficult time. We all agree that it has been so nice to feel a part of this community and also to know that our Emma made such a huge impact on so many people in such a short amount of time. She always dreamed of being a star and it is evident to everyone that she already was one.

Today is Emma’s birthday and most of you probably never knew that she didn’t actually like her birthday very much. It is strange because she is someone who had a genuine enthusiasm for nearly everything, so this may seem out of character, but the reason she felt that way was because she didn’t like everyone worrying or fussing about her. She was much happier when she was giving to others or making others happy. So I know that the first thing she would want me to tell everyone is that she is ok and that we don’t have to worry about her. As many of you know, Emma was taken from us instantly and she did not suffer and never had time to be afraid or consider that we would be worried about her. This is a great comfort to us because she was so beautiful and we never wanted anything bad to happen to her and we were all very protective of her. So now we know that the life she led was purely a happy one.

For every moment of her life, Emma found something to enjoy or celebrate or laugh at, and this is one of the reasons that people loved to be around her. She had a contagious spirit and her outrageous, open mouthed laughter made even the most unwilling share in the moment. She wore her heart on her sleeve and, while this made her fragile, it also meant that she made no secret of the love that she had for her friends and family and I think we are all grateful that we can now hold on to that love.

The list of things that Emm gave her heart to is too long to possibly cover, but there are a few things that she had a particular passion for.

Emma loved Alberta and everything that came with it. She loved being on the farm, she loved big trucks, farm boys and Alberta beef. Most significantly, she was fiercely devoted to the Edmonton Oilers. She prided herself on being one of the first fans to give her heart and unfailing support to Ryan Smyth when she was just 10 years old. When Ryan was traded, and Emm was deciding how to deal with her heartbreak, she asked me if she could still call herself “Mrs. Smytty” and we had a good chat about it and she decided that she would stand by her man, because he, too, was going through a tough time and standing by your man was the right thing to do. This is the way that Emm approached the ones she loved; she supported them passionately and through all of their highs and lows and, in this way, she gave us all strength in the way she believed in us and admired us.

Aside from the Oilers and hockey, Emm loved sports in general. More recently she was becoming a devoted fan of the British footballer Chris Martin and his team, the Norwich Canaries. She was an excellent golfer, even though she preferred to skip the ninth hole with Mom and get a tube steak and a coke. Her other big sport was, of course, ringette. Emm played ringette her whole life and was a skilled and graceful athlete. She was smart and played selflessly, with determination and strength and a fierce wrist shot. The Kingston, Ontario Ringette team let us know this week that they are retiring Emm’s jersey, #2, and will send it home for us to keep. Like us, her teammates and friends know that no one will ever fill her jersey.

Emm also was a wonderful dancer, be it highland dancing or hip hop. She highland danced competitively in Alberta and then went on to join the Queen’s Bands at university. One of the stories I always admire Emm for is when she auditioned to join the Queen’s Bands, and did her Chris Farley impression that finished with a belly slide. I don’t know any other 18 year old girl who would have the courage and comedic ability to pull that off. I was awed. She shared her love of music with everyone around her and would take great pleasure in cruising around St. Albert in a 4x4 blasting hip hop and rap music. She loved starbizzucks, the colour pink, ketchup chips, big sunglasses, sleepovers, and getting insanely hyper from drinking coke. She loved movies and is the only person I know who would cry during the previews, because she was so impressed with the acting!

As everyone knows, Emm’s other passion was acting. She entertained us when she was younger with her performances in the St. Albert Children’s Theatre and went on to do her degree in drama at Queen’s University. One of the theatre groups she was so proud to be a part of was the Queen’s Players, who I have just heard donated the proceeds from their recent show to help fund flights for people to attend today, so thank you very much for that. It is so nice again to see how much of an impact she has made. From Queen’s, Emm went on to do her Master’s at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, England and was proud to be on the list of alumni that includes one of her idols, Dame Judi Dench. She was beginning to establish herself in the industry, had performed in the prestigious Edinburgh Festival last summer, had some television roles and was about to perform in London in a play that she co-wrote with her theatre group and friends. As a family, we benefited so much from her comedy and talent, in every day of our lives but, in particular, when it came to our family Christmas Show when she would help us all write scripts, choreograph dance routines and dance and act to our absolute joy.

Emma had the most wonderful life. Even on the day of her accident she went surfing for the first time and was so pleased that she had stood up on the board. She said that it was one of the BEST DAYS she ever had. This, of course, is no surprise to us since Emm said that about almost every day. But the beauty of it was that she actually felt this and meant it. And how lucky. One of the ways Emm celebrated her life was by sharing it with and surrounding herself with wonderful friends who took care of her, who made her laugh, and whose quirks, accomplishments and talents filled her with joy. She was so proud of her friends, she saw something special in everyone. She had a handsome and strong boyfriend whom she loved dearly and with whom she shared a very special time in her life. Her appreciation of all these things was evident in the way she gave so much to everyone, be it through her laughter, kindness or even through her infamous blog, in which she invested so much time, so that others would be amused, interested or intrigued. She never wrote for herself, but always considered what would appeal to her family and friends. This was her approach to every facet of her life.

As most people who knew her know, Emm’s most cherished possession was her family. It is a difficult time for us as we are very close to one another but we all agree that we are so happy that we have no regrets. Not only did Emm celebrate every moment, but, as a family, we took every opportunity to be together and celebrate our love. We are very lucky to have all been together in March in London for the release of my book and the celebration of our Dad’s birthday, both events which meant so much to Emm, and we had the BEST TIME EVER! Neither she nor any of us will regret missed opportunities because every moment was treasured. We are so lucky to have experienced and felt her love and to have shared so much together. She always supported and encouraged us, and always made us laugh. We all agree that she was the most fun person we ever met.

Emma invested so much in each of us and was always making sure we were all ok. Which is why I know that we are all going to be ok. As many of you know, Emm was my best friend. In fact, the words best friend are completely insufficient to describe the bond that we have and I know that, like many of you, I have a long struggle ahead of me. But I feel so comforted by the fact that I know exactly what Emm wants us to do. She wants us to celebrate life as she did and find laughter in everything. Emma was a precious gift to us and I know we all wish we had more time with her, but we have to now appreciate what she gave us and continue to make her proud. We have to live up to the image of how she saw us and celebrate every moment of our lives. Thank you Emm, we love you so much.