INTERNATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING
‘Only the good die young’
Sharmagne Ray remembers her sister, who died of occupational disease
If she closes her eyes and concentrates, Sharmagne Ray can still conjure the sound of her big sister’s laugh.
“Dawna had such an infectious giggle, just like our mom,” says Sharmagne. “She was always smiling, and had such a positive nature.”
That positivity never waned, even in the face of dire news that revealed occupational disease as the cause of her ongoing struggle for breath. Dawna had worked in the agricultural industry for a number of years, at a hay plant. She also held other jobs where she was exposed to a toxic assortment of chemicals, often with minimal or no personal protective equipment.
Struggling for breath
“I noticed breathing had become hard work for her,” says Sharmagne. “She was very grey. And her chest became quite large— even though she was quite slight—from gasping for air. Whenever I mentioned anything, she would just laugh and say: ‘Only the good die young.’”
It was a prophetic statement—Dawna Tobler was only 55 years old when she died, of complications from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonia.
a natural mother
She left behind a son and a daughter she raised on her own, and five grandchildren who came to visit her practically every day after school, to tell her stories and to play her piano.
“Oh, how she loved those children,” says Sharmagne. “She would have done anything for them.”
Motherly instincts seemed to come naturally to Dawna, says Sharmagne, and likely stemmed from the fact she was the oldest of five children.
“We all loved her,” Sharmagne says. “Growing up, I wanted to be just like her. She was so smart. I became successful in business, and that’s because she taught me the skills I needed to know. She had patience for teaching and made it fun.”
AN ACCOMPLISHED EQUESTRIAN
In addition to the infectious laugh, Dawna also shared their mother’s love of horses.
As a young adult, she was an accomplished equestrian, showing horses across Canada and the U.S., and even at the world-renowned Spruce Meadows equestrian facility. Ultimately, her failing health forced her to sell her horses.
a force to be reckoned with
“Dawna considered showing at Spruce Meadows to be the highlight of her life,” says Sharmagne. “Our family did not come from money like a lot of people in the horse show arena, so it took talent and hard work to be on top.
“She became a force to be reckoned with in that circle.”
Dawna died less than three years after their mom, says Sharmagne. She misses them every day. She likes to think that mother and daughter are racing their horses across a meadow somewhere—and laughing, of course.
She can practically hear them.