Sunday, July 24, 2022
To all:
If you are reading this, you know in some measure what we have lost.
For me, it is a dear friend, whose whole family I cherish.
We were both born and raised in the Mid West.
We both took away from that a particular value system that we shared.
We both lived and raised our kids in the same town over the same fifty years.
We both had dancer genes: for me they led to just a couple of years during college
under a Martha Graham disciple, but for Pat they drew her to New York for
further development and study and to a professional, performing career.
She always projected the power and presence of a dancer.
When Pat years later offered an adult dance exercise class - I took it.
When I offered children’s beginner guitar to grade-schoolers, Pat brought Kristin.
When Lisa and my daughter Nancy during high school were in classes at New Jersey
Ballet – two suburbs away at suppertime - we really had to hustle the logistics.
When Lori’s talents in violin became so impressive that she needed an even higher-
quality instrument as she progressed – which happened twice that I know of – the
parents had to figure out funding. With all three daughters it must have been like
having the responsibility of raising an Olympian.
So much art/music/dance/theater in every generation of this family:
every sibling, every husband, every grandchild – oh, my! - everybody just stay tuned.
Before people got printers into their homes, we frequently called Pat to see if she could
part with and would cut out a particular article from her copy of the New York Times.
We were always current on each other’s thinking about our complicated world.
OK. Much in common.
But never mind all that.
She was such an incredible friend and a constant in my life.
No one can say enough about people like this, but we try:
So calm at the core, so caring, clear, present, passionate, happy, fun.
Open-hearted, open-minded, an impressive spiritual seeker.
She was a full-spectrum woman, always in charge of herself, but always there for others!
We all seem to have a sense of the proper order of things.
This does NOT include the younger ones dying first!
Pat, you know I am 92. I am shocked and un-accepting that you went first.
This part is what makes me cry.
All the rest is a blessing.
Carolyn
