Memorial Speech for Emma

9th June. 2pm. We celebrated the life of Emma with a memorial service. This is what i said.



I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to say today,

I think everyone here knows how amazing Emma was. She was a talented, intelligent beautiful girl who everyone loved to be around. What some of you may not know is how much she valued everyone’s friendship.

To Emma her family and friends were the most important thing in her life. Emma was at her best when she making other people happy. Whether it be entertaining us with her quick wit and sharp humour, or simply taking them for a starbucks and having a chat as we often did.

As many of you know Emma was taken from us instantly, she did not suffer and never had time to be afraid or consider that we would be worried about her, and that should be of comfort to us as we know now that life Emma’s life was a purely happy one.

I am grateful to Emma for so many reasons. She has been such an influence on how I approach life. Perhaps her greatest influence she had on me was her introduction to “The Bucks” which is star bucks to me and you. I have never met anyone who cannot function in the mornings without a star bucks. Forget Nero or Costa. Emma simply could not do any work until she had made a purchase at star-bucks.

Emma blog was pure work of art. Her observations on the world, and studying british culture was always an enjoyable read. She always wrote for other people. To let them enjoy the things she had been doing and experiencing. She was always thinking about her readers. I used to laugh at the messages she sent me asking “why didnt I commented on her recent posting”

Emma loved Alberta and everything that came with it. She loved being on the farm, she loved big trucks, and Alberta beef. Most significantly, she was fiercely devoted to the Edmonton Oilers. Emm loved sports in general. More recently she was becoming a devoted fan of the British footballer Chris Martin and his team, Norwich City. She was an excellent golfer, played ringette, overall she was a skilled and graceful athlete.

Emm also was a wonderful dancer, be it highland dancing or hip hop. She loved music, and sharing it with her friends. Of course as we all know she was also a talented actress. Performing on stage with em always felt so easy, comfortable. She was a professional through and through, apart from the time in Edinburgh when she fell of the stage during a show and all we could hear was the sounds of emma hysterically laughing, trying to contain herself offstage.

When Britney Spears was in the newspapers a few months ago for shaving of her hair, emma called me up and asked me, why is she acting like that…it seems so out of character for her. I told her that the pressures of fame had been to much for her. Emma replied with wow I will never get like that.

Em wanted to be a star and it seems evident today that she achieved that. From spending time with her family and friends in Canada it is clear that she has touched so many peoples lives. Her family are extremely strong and it gave me comfort to see how well they are all coping. Jenna, Emma’s sister spoke of em as being a precious gift to us all. I know we all wish we all had more time with her but we have to appreciate what this gift gave us all.

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 what she said about everyday. But she truly meant it. She embraced everything put in front of her, and always strove to challenge herself.

We miss em dearly and I am so sad that we will not get to perform the work we wrote together and that she was so proud of. Emma was not only a great work partner, but she was also one ofmy best friend and I think now It is up to us to make Emma proud of how we all live our lives. She respected and admired all her friends, always encouraging and making them feel good. Jenna mentioned We have to live up to the image of how she saw us and celebrate every moment of our lives and I fully agree with this.

Emma we love you and miss you so much. Thank you.