On October 20th, we lost founding board member Marianne Angelini after a roughly year long struggle with cancer. Mare had been involved in rescue since she adopted her pug Tammy from Curly Tail in 2009 and volunteered for the organization shortly thereafter. Over the years, from Curly Tail through Pug Squad, she helped save countless furry lives.
The last few years have been marked by devastating losses in our community, but this cuts particularly deep. Mare had been with the Squad since the first “Hey, we have an idea” discussions after Curly Tail Pug Rescue folded. All of us on the board knew her since those earlier days, some longer than others, but we all considered her to be part of our family.
I will always remember her straight shooting attitude, how she never suffered fools gladly and her bawdy sense of humor. She could cut you dead with a glare and she was quick to use the middle finger emoji in text messages, but her heart was warm and welcoming. You never wanted to be on her bad side, and trust me, there were times when I absolutely and gleefully poked that bear. Mostly because her cutting rejoinders and deadly gaze were incredibly funny. She was a good sport and knew where it was coming from. She was a City Girl, after all.
For the last few years, those of us on the board close enough to make the trip would spend Christmas Eve together. Dinner, drinks and then Cards Against Humanity would be the tradition. Mare had been around the block a few times and offending her was difficult, but having her read the cards out loud was easily the highlight of the game. She would rarely be able to get through them without laughing hysterically. Which made us laugh just as hard. It would take too long to explain here, but there were some cards that just became “hers.” Buy me a drink at the next Pug Camp and I’ll tell you the whole story.
Her loss is deeply felt by all of us.
Nadine: I’m not going to share an anecdote or funny story about Marianne, most have been shared by others already. I am going to share how much I miss her, how much her being gone has affected me. I catch myself thinking about her often and at random times, walking the dogs or just thinking about the holiday season. I feel the empty space she has left deeply. My friend is no longer here. I have to say that to myself sometimes to accept that reality, but my love for her will always be.
Danielle: I loved her completely authentic attitude, her vulgar sass (our common thread) and her passion. I loved and appreciated exactly who she was and will miss the shit out of her and her infectious laugh.
Jodi: It’s hard for me to think of just one memory. We became friends through rescue and built on that friendship over the years. We would laugh…we would cry…would get mad…I smile when I think of her. Christmas Eve will never be the same. I miss you Marianne, plain and simple. I hope you know that we loved you. Rest easy my friend.
Mare was a devoted mom to Nikki and their two pugs Bentley and David. Mare and Nikki were friends as much as mother/daughter. They were inseparable. With that in mind, I’ll close with a quote from the last text conversation I had with Marianne:
“I am so proud of Nikki because I’m basically useless right now. At least I know I did one thing right in this lifetime.”
You did a lot right, Mare. We’ll always love you, miss you and remember.
