Unforgettable Freny

On Sunday, June 22, 2003 our mother Freny Bulsara, 63, died instantly in a motorcycle accident in Ottawa, Ontario. Our father, Kekie Bulsara, 71, was seriously injured and was rushed to hospital. He has since had an operation on his pelvis, and is recovering well. He is expected to be able to start walking again in three to six months.

Theirs was a marriage of love. Dad used to pick mom up from high school on his motorcycle. He had been riding for over 50 years without incident when this tragic accident happened. All loving moms are extremely special to their children. However, Freny Bulsara was seen to be a very special person. She was a true and devout Zoroastrian to the core of her being. We chided Freny about it, but her favorite color was white. My sister, Havove, says that is because mom saw everything in black and white. There was no grey in between. There was no such thing as a white lie for her. No shades of grey in truth. No shades of grey in devotion to her religion and God, or in her thoughts, words and actions.

Married at a month shy of 16, she worked all her life for the betterment of family and friends — even friends of friends. For example, she spent two years running my roofing business given only one week’s notice because I was going on an overseas assignment. She did so while she and dad were running their own campground business! She, along with dad, helped over two dozen new immigrants and visitors to Canada settle into their new environments, often letting them stay sheltered and fed in her own humble home without charge for months or years, until they could get settled. This applies to Zoroastrians, Hindus, Muslims, and Christians alike — some of whom she had never even met before they arrived at her doorstep unannounced. She gave birth to three children, whom she raised lovingly. If that wasn’t enough, my parents adopted a fourth child, and raised him in his own Hindu religion according to the wishes of his natural parents. That is the measure of the Zarathushti that mom was. She, along with dad’s help, acted as a caregiver for several people including our grandmother, and later my father’s uncle. She was waiting to get on with her retirement, but life kept throwing obstacles in her path. She stepped up to the challenge every time. This time, the obstacle in her path was one that took her away from us all.

JEHANGIR BULSARA

Toronto