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BEATE KALLER-MANSFIELD Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. Rabindranath Tagore Beate Mansfield, my wife and soulmate for over 49 years, passed away peacefully at our home in Prince Edward County on Sunday, November 25, after 35 years of chronic suffering with back problems and a few months of acute pain from kidney cancer. She had hoped to arrange for a less painful and more dignified, physician- assisted death in Switzerland, but her cancer progressed too suddenly for that to happen. Her children, Christina Anderman and Philip Mansfield, her sister, Uta Kaller, and I were singing to her the carol It Came Upon a Midnight Clear when she drew her last breath. The text was particularly appropriate to her life and its ending. We celebrated the Grace of God in Beate's life in the manner of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), at a beautiful meeting for worship Sunday evening, which was attended by most of her close friends. She remained with us overnight, then left in a simple pine casket made by our friend, Peter Mulloy, and was cremated on Wednesday. Beate Kaller was born in 1927 at Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany, to Ernst Kaller, a world-renowned Professor of Organ Music, and Hanni Kaller, a music teacher and expert on Bach. Her childhood, in a devout Catholic family, was idyllic, rich with music and cultural activities, and close to nature in her beloved Black Forest. After the outbreak of World War II, this all changed. All she could remember was fear and terror, starvation, bombs, destruction and blaring propaganda. From 1952 to 1957 she trained as a nurse and midwife in England, then emigrated to Canada by ship, where I met her and proposed in 72 hours. We married in 1958 and have two children, six grands and two greats. From the start of her life in Canada she had health problems, and by 1978 was officially disabled, living mostly on her back thereafter. Beate was respected and loved for many reasons. She had a sound knowledge of, and interest in art, music, healthcare, religion and philosophy. She was a dedicated environmentalist, and an expert on gardening, cooking, and all aspects of the natural world. She was a nurturer and mentor to family and friends, and supported many charities, notably the Nature Conservancy, Amnesty and Unicef. We thank Dr. Wm. Bates, and the Quinte Access palliative team, led by Kathy Sarty, whose wonderful care lessened her burden in the last weeks of her life. Any who wish to make a donation in her memory are asked to make it to one of the above charities, or to Dying With Dignity Canada. Richard Mansfield 305 Massassauga Road, Belleville, ON K8N 4Z7 Tel: (613) 967-5738 e-mail: richard.mansfield@kos.net 10926313