My sister Jean passed away last November. Recently, Jean’s (and my) great niece Sasha Malley, while studying in the Scripps College Premedical Postbaccalaureate program in California, arranged for this memorial bench to honor Jean.

The bench sits on a newly built pier behind the former McDonalds restaurant overlooking the harbor in Jean’s hometown of Beverly, Mass.

Sasha, who recently earned her bachelor’s degree from Barnard College, plans to follow her parents, obstetrician Kate Harney and infectious disease specialist Rick Malley, in becoming a medical doctor.

The bench location was a favorite spot of Jean’s. Among other things, Jean would add her nephews and nieces to McD’s “billions and billions served” and always treated our dog Casey to burgers there on his birthday.

The quote on the bench is from one of Jean’s favorite poems, Abou Ben Adhem.