Madeleine Cancel 1949 - 2010
Madeleine Cancel passed away Christmas Eve, 2010.
Madeleine dedicated her life to protecting the sea. Her company, Camared, taught generations a special love of this planet. Visit the Camared website.
I first met Madeleine at a water clean-up day in Guaypao, 2008. Having heard so much about her I walked over to introduce myself. She would not put down her rake, kept working, and said “Hi, I can work and talk at the same time, nice to meet you.” She was a special person to us from that moment on. See the album of that day.
You had to be there at the Guánica malecon for Madeleine’s Global Clean Water Day, 2009, to feel the passion of so many people she had brought together, all with a love of life. See the album of that day.
One of her last organized events was a cleanup of Las Pardas. The volumes of trash her volunteers picked up was measured in tons and truckloads. See the short story.
Guánica Will Miss Madeleine Cancel!
Madeleine was a lady of action and certainly dedicated. She was the one person in Guanica that was always trying to make this a better place. It would be nice and appropriate for Guanica to honor her by naming an area after her or have a scholarship in her name. Let’s hope the mayor will remember Madeleine’s contributions by acknowledging her in some way so other residents will learn from her.
From her friend Nell:
“…I can say that Madeline was a good friend to me and called me Beba. Means baby girl. I will miss her very much. I would stop at her store and we would shoot the breeze on community projects and such. She and I were very much alike in that respect. I wonder if we can mention what she and Norman did to rehabilitate the coral reef or as we call it the Turremotte on the horizon. I look at the plantings and think of her everyday. I never dreamed anything would survive that environment there…”
I was very saddened to hear of Madeleine’s sudden passing. She was a lovely person. I met her at a workshop of decision-makers and stakeholders for the Guanica Bay watershed. She was a passionate advocate for Guanica and its beautiful natural environment. She frequently sent me emails about events in Guanica. I will miss her very much.