The world was a brighter place because Baiba Ozols was in it. Born in Framingham, MA on June 5, 1959, to Leonidis and Hilda Ozols, Baiba was steadfast in her love of family. She was both her father’s constant shadow and his gleaming light. Our dear friend was an intricate alloy of her experiences –  proud of her father’s Latvian heritage, with her own quick wit and humor, and at times measured, stoic, and direct—mirroring her mother’s Swiss manner. She melded these cultures with her own uniquely American experience and built a life of independence, hard work, and fierce loyalty to those she loved.  She was inseparable from her cousins, and as children they spent many rambling summers on the beaches of Connecticut. Baiba attended college at Framingham State University where she studied sociology and foreign languages. She was dedicated to her work for the Department of Education in Massachusetts, where she served in various roles as an education and data specialist for 39 years.  A self-professed cat-lady, she found beauty, camaraderie, and connection with all felines. She even admired dogs from afar, despite a childhood interaction that instilled an understandable wariness in her. She was an observer of nature, and was often bemused by the surrounding world’s comings and goings. She felt at home by the ocean and made us all feel at home around her.  While she considered herself shy, she made friends easily and forged deep bonds. Baiba laughed heartily and spent many evenings dancing and playing board games, surrounded by those who felt lighter and loved in her presence. Her memory reverberates through her community, and she is survived by many family and friends who are forever changed by her kindness. We love you Baiba, rest well.