Condolences for Catalina Diver died today

[Jax]

Already posted at http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ac...0-catalina-diver-died-today-w-instructor.html

[-]Also, Condolences belong in "passing" forum.[/-]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Threads merged

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[waystngAway]

She was a speech teacher from the Perris elementary school district. All the staff and students are devastated! She was a wonderful person who just loved life. She was getting her advanced certificate for a upcoming trip to Honduras.
She leaves behind a daughter. We are waiting to hear more details on what went wrong.

 

[merxlin]

My condolences to her family and loved ones. We met her Saturday AM before diving as they were staying at the same hotel as us.

 

[drbill]

I spent a lot of time with the instructor (a personal friend) and her class both the day before the incident and immediately following it. I met her on Sat and spent time with both her BF and the instructor following the incident. Deep condolences to her family and friends and my deep concern for the instructor who is a safe, dedicated dive professional.

 

[InTheDrink]

My heart goes out to the instructor, it really does. It doesn't sound like an obviously preventable accident from what I've read on the presented facts. Condolences to the deceased loved ones and strength to the instructor - I can't imagine how this would feel.

J

 

[cruiser]

Mona (Betty) Towle

Mona (Betty) E. Towle was born Sept. 9, 1953 in Birmingham, Alabama. She passed away the morning of Nov. 1, 2009 while diving at Catalina Island. She was working on her advanced diving certification which she was very proud of and loved to do. Her sudden passing has left her family and friends in shock with a deep feeling of loss.

Betty finished a B.A. in Psychology early on in life and continued her education by completing her Masters Degree in Speech Language Pathology in 2006. Betty spent the first part of her working career as the Director of Children's Ministries at the Church of the Valley in Apple Valley. After completing her Masters Degree, she found excitement in a new career as a Speech Therapist at the Perris Elementary School District, where she loved and was loved by hundreds of students.

Betty was passionate about travel and was unafraid to challenge herself with new activities. Her appreciation for the natural world was matched by her interest in other cultures. She enjoyed hiking, backpacking, camping and traveling internationally, visiting many countries around the world. She always saw and appreciated the little things around her that others often didn't notice. She was one to stop and smell the roses. She had great compassion for others and that showed in her daily life. In April 2010, she was to administer Polio vaccines in India with the Rotary Polio Plus Program, a cause important to her. She was always a great support to many people and those around her will deeply miss her compassion.

Please join her friends and family in a memorial service and reception to celebrate this incredible woman and her life at Sunset Hills Memorial Park on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1pm. She is survived by her daughter, Megan Towle, sister, Martha Gruber, brothers, Bill and David Scott, her loving partner, Darryl Evey, sister-in-law, Michelle Scott, brother-in-law, Frank Reum, many nieces and nephews, and was preceded in death by her husband, Brad Towle.

In lieu of flowers a gift to the Rotary Polio Plus Program will carry on Betty's philanthropic mission. A donation can be mailed to Hesperia Community Rotary at 15075 7th Street, Victorville, CA 92392.

Published in Daily Press, Hesperia Star & Desert Dispatch on November 7, 2009