There are people who you meet and you know the moment you meet them you will never, ever be the same again. This is how I feel about Libby.
When I heard she passed away on Wednesday I cried. But I also smiled, for the amazing, beautiful spirit she was. And as her grand-daughter, Tina said in an email to friends of Libby, “At 106 years old we cannot mourn her passing, but rather celebrate the spirit she brought to us all.”
I feel privileged to have met Libby through my volunteer work when Frankie was a therapy dog. When I first began visiting Libby’s House, Libby herself was not there, but came to live there at 103 years old. Maybe this sounds odd, but I felt like I was as close as I could possibly be in the presence of God when I was with Libby. It’s not every day you meet someone 103 years old!
Libby was sharp as a tack and when Frankie visited she loved seeing her. Now the odd thing about this is, according to her grand-daughter, Tina, was that Libby didn’t care for animals most of her life. But Frankie wiggled her way right into her heart. As someone who loves animals deeply, to see this connection happen was such a gift to me.
One of the memories I’ll always carry with me is one day when visiting Libby, she put her hand on Frankie’s back, looked into my eyes and said, “Frankie is love.” I also 
remember visiting Libby a few weeks after Frankie passed in June. Libby asked how I was doing and I said how much I was missing Frankie. She held my hands in hers and patted them as she said, “I know, dear. It’s hard.” It was so comforting to me that she understood.
It was such an honor to have been in Libby’s presence. To see that life over 100 can be so beautiful. And you, my dear Libby were love. How lucky heaven is to now have you.