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Richard Branson with mother Eve Branson at a presentation in the California desert in 2008
Photo:
FRED PROUSER / REUTERS
Richard Branson describes his mother as a force of nature.
She had taken gliding lessons disguised as a boy, reported to the British Women's Royal Naval Service during World War II, and was also a ballet dancer and stewardess.
"She was inventive, fearless, relentless - an entrepreneur before the word existed," writes the Virgin founder on his blog about Eve Branson, who has now succumbed to Covid 19 disease.
"Like many people's relatives and friends right now, my mum Eve died of Covid," Branson said.
He also shows a photo in which he and his mother are hugging each other.
The 70-year-old billionaire, whose company has also suffered greatly from the corona crisis, publicly commemorates the dead: "Instead of mourning their loss, I want to celebrate their wonderful life, their enormous spirit, the joy that they brought to so many," wrote Branson and published several pictures showing the two on different occasions.
Conveys values
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He and his sisters Lindy and Vanessa would have been lucky enough to grow up with parents who taught them values.
"They taught us how important hard work is, that you don't take yourself too seriously, that you treat people the way you would like to be treated, that you think like an entrepreneur, and so much more." They would also have shown that family is the most important thing in the world.
"As for so many in this Covid era, it feels strange that a person who was always there for us with such a zest for life is gone," wrote entrepreneur Branson.
Eve Branson leaves a lasting legacy: The Eve Branson Foundation, which aims to improve the lives of women and girls in North Africa and provide better access to education and health care.
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