RIP Ronni Bennett

On October 30, at 6:28 PM local time, Veronica "Ronni" Bennett died. Ronni bravely documented the ageing process, with her Last Great Gift being the documentation of her death. I read those words and tears filled my eyes. I felt I had lost a role model and a mentor. As one of her followers said, “Condolences to her family and friends and all who cared for her. There will be a hole in all our lives that likely will never be filled.”

For those who do not know Ronni for 16 years has blogged about what it means to grow old in her blog, As Time Goes By, what it is really like to grow old. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with Terminal Cancer and her blog shifted to writing about her experiences with cancer. As her friend posted on her blog yesterday “Ronni bravely documented the ageing process, with her Last Great Gift being the documentation of her death.”

Her legion of supporters and fans are as devastated as I am. I started reading her blog about 10 years ago. At that time there were very few blogs that were talking about growing old. I found her writing to be funny, original, creative, truthful, poignant, straightforward, and enjoyable to read. I will miss her voice, as will the thousands of others who read her work. She was one of a kind. Her courage and her willingness to speak about the path she was walking is an inspiration to all of us.

Her final words should be remembered and will provide hope for all of us who at some point will arrive at the same point in our own lives, where we know we are going to die. Her friend Autumn who posted the notice of Ronnie’s death said “I will leave you with knowing that she was ready. Just before she died, she said, "When you get here, it is really nice. I am not afraid.”