"It was the hardest day of my life." Magda Szubanski's loving farewell to her mum.

On Monday September 4, Magda Szubanki’s mother Margaret passed away aged 92.

She was a woman her daughter remembers for her “piss funny” sense of humour, “her kindness and life force” and the way she “lived for” her kids and grandkids.

On Sunday, the day of Margaret’s funeral, Magda wrote a loving tribute to her mum, alongside a short video of her giving a “sarcastic royal wave”.

“And so it is done. The final farewell. We gave her a grand send off – full of love and beauty and humour,” wrote Szubanski.

And so it is done. The final farewell. We gave her a grand send off – full of love and beauty and humour. And of course great sadness. It was the hardest day of my life but seeing that church full of family and friends who loved her and us gave me such strength. Thank you to all my friends who rallied around, bringing meals and love throughout this difficult time. I feel so very lucky and cannot help but be mindful of those who die unloved and unmourned. The mass was a perfect expression of mum – Catholic, inclusive, formal but warm and loving. And, my god, when the lone piper led her coffin out there was not a dry eye in the church. I want to thank you for all of the love you have given me and my mum on social media. I have not had time to reply but I have read all of your messages and it has helped me so much through this awful time. Thank you and bless you all ???????? For all its flaws, social media can also be a beautiful way of connecting I took this little video of her some months ago. I asked her to wave to the camera and this was her response – a sarcastic royal wave. Classic Mum. Her hands were always so elegant and expressive. As one friend said, it looks like a bird landing. A sarcastic bird. She did not live a big life. But there was a big life in her. The power of her life force was palpable. There were few worldly, external achievements. That’s because nothing held the same passion for her as her love for her family. Instead she performed the millions of small, seemingly unnoteworthy acts of caring that together comprise the magnum opus of a mother’s love. She could be sharp. She could be tricky. But she was the love of my life – a grand and complex woman. I will always cherish the gift and grace of her sublime sense of humour. But more than anything I will always carry with me the way her face lit up whenever I came in the room. That memory will help to make this unbearable loss bearable Good bye Mum. Go to Dad. Take care hen. Cheerio the noo. God bless ????????

A post shared by Magda Szubanski (@magda_szubanski) on Sep 9, 2017 at 9:53pm PDT

She thanked her family and friends, as well as all those who supported her on social media, for their words and thoughts in such a difficult time.

Szubanski described the mass as “a perfect expression of mum,” adding that “when the lone piper led her coffin out there was not a dry eye in the church”.

“She did not live a big life. But there was a big life in her,” she wrote. “The power of her life force was palpable. There were few worldly, external achievements. That’s because nothing held the same passion for her as her love for her family.

Listen to Mia Freedman’s interview with Magda Szubanski on No Filter. Post continues after audio. 

“Instead she performed the millions of small, seemingly unnoteworthy acts of caring that together comprise the magnum opus of a mother’s love.

“She could be sharp. She could be tricky. But she was the love of my life – a grand and complex woman.”

The comedian, actor and author has shared her raw and touching journey in the last few months, documenting the special moments they spent when she knew her mother was fading.

“She’s often not sure if I’m her mother or her sister or her daughter,” Szubanski wrote in February.

Our thoughts are with the Szubanski family, their friends and loved ones during this time.

My beautiful friends Jac and Deb came to visit Mum today and we took her to a cafe. Then I presented Mum with this red prayer string, blessed by His Holiness the #DalaiLama . Her voice is barely a whisper now but she exclaimed, “Oh!” with honour and delight and made the sign of the cross, touching her withered hand to her forehead and her heart in respect and gratitude. She totally gets the significance; demonstrating, yet again, how Love, Compassion and Humility before the great mysteries of life cross all cultures, religions and nationalities. Then my friend Jac patiently wound it round her wrist watch so she wouldn’t lose it. We are blessed to have such friends and such love in our lives Thank you Deb Kiper @jac.nancarrow ????????❤️???? And thank you to Lynn @bodhievents for this precious gift ????????

A post shared by Magda Szubanski (@magda_szubanski) on Aug 4, 2017 at 6:52pm PDT

Mother’s Day lunch with the family. At one point mum choked on a Crunchie from her selection of Cadbury favorites. The honeycomb got stuck in her teeth. She couldn’t stop laughing. She turned to me and with a wink she said, “Fancy chocolate turning on me like that after all the devotion I’ve shown it.” Sometimes she’s not exactly sure who we are but she is still piss funny #cackfunnyat92 #betrayal #mothersday

A post shared by Magda Szubanski (@magda_szubanski) on May 14, 2017 at 12:11am PDT