Pippa O’Connor has remembered her close friend Jenny Taaffe, on the first anniversary of her death.
Jenny, who was the CEO and founder of iZest Marketing, lost her battle with pancreatic cancer last August – leaving her friends and family devastated.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Jenny passed away on Pippa’s birthday last year, and the night before her birthday this year – the mother-of-two posted a touching tribute to her friend.
Posting on her Instagram Story last night, Pippa shared photos of her and Jenny, and wrote: “Thinking of Jenny a lot this week.. it’s a year tomorrow since she passed away which is hard to believe ❤️.”
She added: “As I turn another year older tomorrow I realise more than ever what a privilege growing older is. Health & happiness is the ultimate gift.. everything else is a bonus x.”
Pippa, who is celebrating her birthday today at the Castlemartyr Resort in Cork,
dedicated her second book to Jenny last year.
Two months after Jenny’s passing, Pippa released her second book ‘The Pippa Guide’, and dedicated it to her late friend.
Speaking to Ryan Tubridy on RTÉ Radio One last year, Pippa revealed how she came to meet Jenny a few years ago.
She said: “So, to give you a brief story, I was introduced to Jenny and her husband Alan about five years ago, through Brian, and they were going to build a website for me for Pippa.ie, because I needed something a bit more professional.”
“So that kind of started our relationship with Jenny and Alan. We got on with them straight away – they’re a husband and wife team, we’re a husband and wife team, and we just clicked.”
Pippa explained: “She kind of indirectly became my manager, my mentor, just became a really good friend of mine.”
“And then, fast forward, unfortunately she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in August last year, and then she sadly passed away a year later, in August just gone.”
Jenny was just 41 when she passed away, and left behind her husband and their two young sons.
Pippa said: “She was just the most bright, positive, uplifting person, and I think she did more in 41 years than most of us will ever do. She was just amazing.”
On dedicating the book to Jenny, Pippa said: “Yeah, I really wanted to. Just because she was just so instrumental in everything I’ve done in my business and was just such a massive help to me.”
Last August, Pippa paid tribute to her friend in a touching post on Instagram.
She wrote: “Today we said goodbye Jen – our friend, my mentor, my manger. The person I aspired to and admired so much.”
“An absolute power house of a woman. Jenny was always a joy to be around, she literally lit up a room. She was funny, incredibly smart, a problem solver, so calm, soft, but incredibly ballsy.”
“We feel lucky to have known you and to have had you in our lives – you’ve taught us all so much, especially in the last year. Life is for living. Thank you Jen for being you. We’ll never forget you.”
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