Loving to the end - Mother who died in Bog Walk Gorge incident enjoyed putting smiles on faces

Valerie 'Pansy' Ennis was a woman who dedicated her whole life to the care of her three daughters, Elorine Smith, Tashauna Ennis-Patterson, and Natasha Ennis. Her girls say she was loving and supporting to the very end.

Ennis, 59, died in a motor vehicle mishap in the Bog Walk Gorge last Tuesday. She was en route to assist her eldest child, Elorine, 45, at a restaurant she operates in Linstead, St Catherine.

The police report that at about 9:15 a.m., the driver of a black Toyota Fielder was travelling towards Bog Walk when he allegedly overtook a line of traffic and collided with a white Toyota Hiace minibus in which Ennis was a passenger.

As a result of the collision, the Toyota Hiace plunged into the Rio Cobre. The incident robbed Elorine, Tashauna and Natasha of a caring mother.

ALWAYS PRESENT

"Mommy always tries to be there for her girls in every way. Even though we are grown, she treated us like babies just the same. Almost every day she is with my sister to help serve food, and support her," Natasha, 37, told THE STAR.

Last Tuesday, Ennis, who lived in Angels, Spanish Town, was on her way to assist Elorine in Linstead, as she normally does. However, she did not make it.

NUMEROUS CALLS

"My sister was calling her from the time she know she would normally get there and the phone just went straight to voicemail," Natasha said.

After placing numerous calls to her cellphone, which went unanswered, the girls got the most devastating news imaginable. Their mother had died.

"Even now we are still in shock, because we weren't expecting anything like this. Me and my sisters can't stop crying, and the grandchildren are not taking it well, because they shared a great bond with her," Natasha said

The grieving daughter said that her mother made a habit of putting smiles on people's faces.

"Mommy would go to the store for us and pick the stuff she thinks would look nice in our homes, and the whole time she would be on video call with us, showing us the stuff. I mean, she just always wanted to see us be and look our best at all times," she said

"She was nice to everybody, even people older than her keeps calling to say she loved and cared for them. She is the type to just call and find out if her close friends or family members need anything, even when she is on her last," Natasha added

Valerie, who was born and raised in Pear Tree Grove, St Mary, was employed at Nestle Jamaica Limited for more than 20 years.

"Mommy worked so hard to take care of her children. A day never passed that she didn't remind us that she loves us. We usually talk very often, even moreso my daughter. If she [was] going out she would call and say, 'Grandma, look what I'm wearing.'

"Right now, to comfort myself I have to keep saying God had a plan and it will get better with time," Natasha said.