Yesterday, I was told of a sad loss for our community. A ninety-nine year old woman whom I don’t believe I ever met passed away recently. I don’t know if she ever came to the town I live in, and I’m don’t even know her full name, but she has had an important influence on my life.

When we moved to Woodbridge, everyone told us what a wonderful superintendent Dr. Guy Stella was. Over the past two years, I’ve gotten to know Dr. Stella as I attended school board meetings, technology meetings at the school, parent teacher organization meetings and numerous other events. I told him about Fiona’s radio show and he asked her to come down to his office and tell him about the show. He has made Beecher Road School a much better place and I am grateful to him for this.

Once, I had the opportunity to ask him if he would call into Fiona’s show. I explained that it was every Sunday at 6:30. He said that he would love to, but that every Sunday he goes to visit his mother. I suggested that his mother should call in, and thought about how great it would be for students at Beecher Road to hear stories about the childhood of their beloved superintendent.

Unfortunately, I have been told that Dr. Stella’s mother passed away recently. She will not get a chance to call into Fiona’s radio show. I won’t get a chance to meet or talk with her. However, she must have been a remarkable woman to have a son turn out so wonderfully.

My condolences go out to Dr. Stella and his entire family. As we take a moment to pause and reflect, I think it is important to think about the effect we all may have, not only on those that we spend a lot of time with, our family and friends, but also the indirect effect our lives may have on people we never meet, the way I am sure Dr. Stella’s mother has had an important effect on children in many places where Dr. Stella has worked.