Category Archives: in memoriam

in memoriam Leave a comment

Keahi Scholer: 1953-2016

One of my Facebook friends reacted to someone else’s cover photo. It happens all the time — I get a glimpse of a stranger’s life, by virtue of one of my own Facebook friends interacting with that person.

Except I knew this person. This person in the hospital bed, surrounded by her loving family, had been my Sunday School teacher (Young Women’s, technically) back in high school.

I don’t think I’d seen Sister Scholer since I went off to college in the mid 1990’s. We reconnected via Facebook years ago, but then I “defriended” her during one of my many Facebook purges — I had nothing against her; I’d just decided to cut out people I didn’t interact with on the regular.

I was shocked to learn that she died of renal cell cancer last Sunday, at the age of 63.  Continue reading →

in memoriam, memories Leave a comment

David Bowie, 1947-2016

It’s been a long time since the death of a public figure has affected me — has affected so many people — so deeply. It’s a testament to how many different people he reached and connected with at different points in his career.

I learned about David Bowie’s death this morning, and it colored my interactions all day. The piddly shit I was going to post to Twitter about ratting out the double-parked truck or complaining about the weather suddenly seemed unimportant. I learned that his final album, released late last week on his 69th birthday, was planned as a final gift for his fans.

Knowing one has 18 months to live, then getting that last bit of creative stuff out and polished and released — it’s an entirely appropriate finale to an already full and creative life.

I’ve been reading tributes online as I had the time — I was at work, after all, and on a deadline, so personal time was limited — and I think everything that needs saying has already been said by someone.

So here’s the stuff only I can say.

Continue reading →