Calgarian explores grief in book ‘Dear Aaron,’ written after husband’s passing

Calgarian Trena Laine Olfert joins Ian White to discuss her book ‘Dear Aaron,’ which delves into the sudden death of her husband and her struggle with grief.

Trena Laine Olfert’s husband Aaron, 46, passed away in his sleep on the morning of Feb. 26, 2024.

Only 14 months later, she’s telling their story in her memoir Dear Aaron.

“Five weeks into his passing, I just got busy writing, and it became one of my biggest therapies,” she said.

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In the book, Laine Olfert writes extensively about “hustle culture” and the impact stress from Aaron’s all-consuming work at a Calgary oil company may have played in his death.

“He would leave in the morning to go to the office, or be in the home office, and then he would still be there at nighttime,” she said.

“Ambition is great, (but) where are you in the sum of all of this? Where’s also us in all of this?”

‘Dear Aaron’ is written by Calgarian Trena Laine Olfert ‘Dear Aaron’ is written by Calgarian Trena Laine Olfert.