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' high school in 1966, she joined the CIBC as a keypunch operator and also studied to become a computer programmer. Two years later, she married Sam and left the bank in 1972 to start a family. They have three children. "I stayed at home in Oakville until my youngest was 12 years old, at which time they held a family conference and decided that I was a wonderful mother and attend- ed every school function but now it was time for me to spread my wings and leave the next," she laughed. Bakewell, then 36, returned to school full-time at Sheridan College to become a medical secretary and completed the two- year program with the highest marks in the business program. She went to work for an ftakville clinic with four family physicians and, nine months of further study later, also earned her medical secretary certification. "I was the first certified medical secre- tary in the Oakville branch of the Medical Secretaries Association," she said proudly. She was promoted to office manager and watched the clinic grow to seven physicians and a staff of 12. Bakewell spent almost 13 years with the clinic before retiring in 1999 to assist her husband with his consulting company, Healthcare Concepts Group. The couple was introduced to the Quinte area and quickly fell in love with it when her husband did some consulting work in the mid-1990s for Belleville General Hospital and executive director Brian Steinberg. Her husband's grandfa- ther, incidentally, owned the Casa Villaneuve in Picton, before it was demol- ished after a propane explosion. The couple moved here four years ago and they continue their consulting busi- ness. The Bakewells will be departing to Kingston in late August, however, to be closer to their grandchildren. Bakewell joined Hospice Quinte in 2001 and completed the 10-week palliative care training program. Her father was her inspi- ration behind becoming a volunteer. "My dad was dying in Oakville and as in many families, it is difficult to talk about impending death. But I felt my dad and I needed to share our thoughts and, togeth- er, we resolved the issues that come with death." Her first client here was an elderly gen- tleman "and I visited him at home during his final days. It amazes me how close you get to people in such a short time when sharing in these trying times. I find com- fort helping them through their final life's journey." Bakewell said every experience has been unique. "Although each client had different needs, they all needed a listening ear and a caring heart... being a hospice volunteer is extremely rewarding because hopefully I have given comfort to some families going through one of their most difficult experi- ences in their lives." Contact Henry Bury at: newsroom@intelligencer.ca Imeh,