The chrysanthemums made me think of my mother who _____(pass) away...

[嘟嘟嘟嘟]

The chrysanthemums made me think of my mother who had passed away only last autumn.
The chrysanthemums made me think of my mother who passed away only last autumn.

Are both of the sentences right? If yes, what's the difference in meaning? Thanks for helping!

 

[emsr2d2]

You could make an argument for the past perfect based on the fact that the beginning of the sentence is in the simple past. However, "who had passed away", would be followed by "the previous autumn" (the autumn before the time you saw the chrysanthemums). If your mother passed away in autumn 2014, there is no reason for the past perfect or "previous autumn" because autumn 2014 is "last autumn".

The chrysanthemums made me think of my mother, who passed away last autumn.