How does one write an obituary of a woman whose life spanned 81 years and, in those years, lived 50 lifetimes and touched so many unique souls? I have known her as mom, and as an adult- my best friend. She is the first loving face I remember in this life, as I was the last loving face she looked upon in her life; I was honored to be the one to hold her hand and tell her she was free to leave this journey and path to begin her next.

She was a wise and nurturing soul who in her early childhood told her mum, "I have come back too soon." She was always spiritual even while growing up in her childhood home of Dublin, Ireland. She had her struggles in childhood as do many, but to me- her struggles were always miraculous stories. She survived polio as a child and after being told she would be paralyzed, she began walking again. So- began her journey.

She had an inquisitive mind and thanks to her dear father who encouraged her to read and explore her mind- she began her spiritual and physical journey. She became a Pam Am stewardess in the tumultuous 60's and began to travel the world and in doing so, creating even more miraculous stories along her path. Some of these include;  pretending to speak Gaelic to be hired as a stewardess and not being able to speak a lick of it, evacuating Vietnam soldiers on secret missions onto covert Pan Am flights, having an entire flight rented out by the last Shah of Iran, getting kicked out of Egypt with not having appropriate paperwork but sneaking back in, hanging out with Sherman Fairchild, preparing the infamous first class meals on Pam Am- including serving champagne, caviar and cooking an serving an entire prime rib on fine china.

Of course, all of this was before my life began, but as I grew up, I was in awe of her life. There were 2 journey's she did not complete in life. One was to travel to Australia and the other was to go to Africa and work with the children and women there who needed love, help and support. Once I left college, it became my mission to complete her journey and I did both.  I lived in West Africa for 3 years doing exactly what my mom wanted to do- I worked with women and children. One of the greatest joys of both of our lives was that my mother came out to visit me while I was living in The Gambia, and to see her face light up while taking an outdoor bucket bath under the night sky, using a hole in the ground for a toilet, and in eating from a communal food bowl. My Gambian hosts were thrilled to meet my mother and I remember the young boy who stared at my mother and in perfect English said, "You are the woman who bore Siobain."

That was Nuala…. She bore me and taught me to love and experience life, explore my spiritual self, to always push ahead, to read, read, read and travel and travel, travel… She was the shoulder I cried on when my father died and I was the shoulder she cried on when her parents died. I saw her struggle with her health up to the end as she struggled with losing her independence, but she pursued her spiritual journey. In doing so- she remained her grace and love and enjoyed every minute of every day, from the changing of the leaves this October, to the blaze and smell of our fireplace at night, to the candy she ate up like a child on Halloween, to the joy of nature and birds outside the window. She loved her life and her family as we did her.  As I have shared this sorrowful news to friends and family, I hear the same words used for my mom- "her light, her smile, her child like innocence and her generosity and love." I will miss my mother (my best friend) but even now as I write this- I can feel her love and respect. Till we meet again.

Nuala is survived not only by me and her favorite son-in law (Chris-her only son-in law), she is survived by her dear sister Eilis and brother-in law Harry and all of our dearest family and friends.

Services and interment will be private. In honor of my mom and her relationship to our home and nature- we will create a memorial site on our land. We will plant trees/flowers/ and place stones- with her ashes as a memorial to her life and to nurture the earth around us. Please remember Nuala with memorial gift donations: Seeds of Life If you wish to use the Seeds of Life website, please include Nuala's full name, Siobain's address and remind them in the Notes section to hold the shipment until spring. We want to ensure all seeds/plants/trees are planted safely in the spring so they may grow vibrantly and fully.

If you wish to reach out with notes, memories, pictures or from Seeds of Life, please contact Siobain Fisher directly.