Nara Park-Smith

(Born April 2003 in Seoul, South Korea – Passed 23 August 2018 in Burlington, Canada)

 

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Nara was born in Seoul, South Korea, in April of 2003. She was originally named Hana when she lived in the port city of Busan for a very short time. Nara was the most energetic of her Siamese kitten siblings, with the sweetest clear blue eyes you could behold! She met her adopted Mother, Sunhee, that year and moved to the City of Changwon, her mother’s hometown. Sunhee’s first glimpse of Nara was her adorable sweet face as she stared at her mother, nervously purring from inside a paper bag! Early in the following year Jason and Sunhee started dating and Nara and her Dad-to-be quickly bonded. On their first meeting they helped Nara bathe (which she didn’t enjoy) and soon after she fell asleep on Jason’s chest, wrapped in her snug towel. Nara inspired her Dad to compose a jingle for her, which stayed with them her entire life. “With a little tiny nose, And little tiny feet, And little tiny Batman ears!” Nara became a “Daddy’s girl” very soon after that. The jingle convinced Sunhee to marry Jason and the happy trio moved to Cheongju, where Nara’s Dad would work for the Korean Air Force. Their home was in a lovely wooded area where she could sunbathe on their balcony and watch other animals and cats prowl the neighborhood. In the evenings she would sit on her Dad’s lap and the two would watch Star Wars, Star Trek, and everything related to superheroes! Nara was nicked named “Jedi Girl”. Her other nickname was “Nara the Buttcat” as in ‘butt’ being a slang Korean word for friend and because she might often put her cute little butt in your face as she walked by or over top of you. Nara had a pink cat-stroller which allowed her parents to take her on walks through the lovely natural area where they lived.  During this time Nara once escaped and found herself exploring a hilly area that often-had deer grazing on it. An indoor cat, Nara returned as soon as her Dad realised that she must have gone outside. She came when we called. And even in the dark we could hear her meow and watch her run down the hill and back home to the safety of her very relieved parents.

 

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In March of 2011 Nara, her parents and her new 5-month-old little brother, Louis, moved to Canada. Nara flew across the Pacific Ocean with a gaggle of swooning stewardesses at her beck and call every time she wanted a drink of water with ice. Well behaved as she always was, Nara had her own seat and though was supposed to stay in her carrier, sat on her Dad’s lap a few times when most passengers were asleep. Settling in Canada, Nara and her family lived in Dundas and Etobicoke for a short spell before settling in Burlington. In Burlington Nara’s parents built a Cat Pergola on their back deck. There, Nara could spend time outside while safely being close to her family. Nara enjoyed watching the squirrels and birds, squinting into the sunlight on warm days as she deeply inhaled the fresh air and scents of nature.

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During this time, a favourite family hobby was watching the Toronto Maple Leafs on Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night. All four would sit together on the couch snuggled in blankets, eating snacks and cheering for the Leafs; hoping Nara would use her “Jedi power” to save the boys in blue from defeat through every game. As evident by the Leafs performances since 2011, Nara was obviously wise enough NOT to abuse her super powers in any self-serving ways! These simple moments of the four of us together are some of the happiest in all of our lives. In this happy Burlington home Nara lived a third of her life.   

 

In Spring of 2018 she was diagnosed with cancer. Nara rallied and her indelible spirit never waivered. The last few days of her life were hard. We were to take her to a vet to end this pain. The night before that we held her between us. As the sun rose that morning, Nara, our beloved baby girl, passed away in our arms. We held a sweet and emotional service for her in Guelph on August the 24th, the day she was cremated. She took with her some cherished toys, letters of love, snacks, her blanket, and leaves from the grandfather tree in our backyard. Nara looked at rest and as beautiful as always. With a mixture of Buddhist and Protestant rites and our thoughts and prayers we were able to say goodbye before bringing her ashes home. A life well lived.

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We love you sweetheart. You will always be our little girl, alive and filled with love in our grateful silly human hearts. Thank you Nara.

 

Love Always, your family

Mom, Dad, and Louis xoxoxoxoxo