Colleen was, at her very core, selfless. She spent her life caring for the people she loved and giving of herself freely, without expectation. She had an extraordinary ability to make those she loved feel cared for, protected, and truly known.

She was a phenomenal cook, and a meal prepared by Colleen was more than just good food; it was one of the many ways she said, I love you. I am taking care of you. You are home.

Colleen was fiercely loyal and deeply protective of her family. She loved with her whole heart, without reservation. Hers was a gentle, tender kind of love, the kind that asks for nothing in return and quietly becomes part of the foundation beneath you. It is a love that only a fortunate few ever get to experience in a lifetime, and those of us who received it will carry it with us for the rest of our lives.

There are people whose presence becomes so woven into the fabric of our lives that imagining the world without them feels impossible. Colleen was one of those people.

Life feels hollow. The future seems less colorful. Our hearts are heavier, and the world itself feels incomplete without her.

There was an indescribable spark within her that is now gone from this world, a small, beautiful piece of magic that not everyone had the privilege of seeing. That was reserved for the people she truly loved, and to be among those people was an immeasurable gift.

The depth of our grief is a reflection of the depth of her love. We ache because we knew what it was to love and be loved by Colleen. We mourn not only the life she lived, but all the moments we believed we would still have with her and the comfort of simply knowing she was there. There will forever be a space where Colleen should be.

The love she gave us remains in the people she cared for; in the stories that will be told about her, and in every act of tenderness we learned from being loved by her.

Colleen was deeply loved. She will be profoundly missed. And she will never, ever be forgotten.

We love you Cricket.