Dear Andrey, Denny and Gigi,
I was shocked to hear about Maria’s untimely demise. Please accept my heartfelt condolences. And may the Almightly grant you all the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
We have not met earlier, but I wanted to reach out to you in your moment of loss. Maria was an amazing mentor to me. We had met a couple of times for WPP training programs. She remained in touch and would constantly enquire about how I am doing. During the second training programme (which happened two years after the first), she chose to be my mentor for the scheduled one on one feedback sessions. At that point in time i was at the crossroads of my career – I was planning to set up on my own after working in the corporate world for 16 long years. So adept was she as a trainer that the first thing she noticed was that I seemed preoccupied (compared to the first time when she had met me). She was the first person I spoke to about my entrepreneurship plans, outside of my family and friends circle.
I will always remember her encouraging words, her never say die spirit and the twinkle in her eyes. She often spoke fondly of her wonderful husband and two lovely daughters. She took so much pride in her family. She was that rare combination of a thorough professional and a wonderful human being who had a profound impact on whomever she met.
I will certainly miss her. And I know that she is out there somewhere, a twinkling star in the night sky, watching over and guiding her near and dear ones. I will always cherish the times that we spent together, and treasure her words of advice that I will carry with me all through my life.
May her soul rest in eternal peace. My prayers are with you all.
Sincerely,
Ann
Ann Mathew