She was a single mom with a young son. Mike Smith, formerly a member of the Maple Leafs management team, went back to work Monday as the Chicago Blackhawks general manager. A few days before, he spread Judy's ashes around Martha's Vineyard. He doesn't recognize some of the social conventions most people take for granted and then gives unexpected thrift to the niceties most of us ignore. You probably have nothing in common with him.
Death is the great equalizer.
It afflicts regardless of social standing, race or wealth. Judy Smith was 50 when she died 10 days ago in Chicago. She was diagnosed with colon cancer 23 months and two weeks before she died. The over-under for this type of cancer is 24 months and if she fell short, she did so with an explanation. A few weeks before she died, Judy walked across the kitchen to get a bagel and pitched forward.