Monday, March 15, 2021
In my mind, she is still here. I can picture so vividly the life that blessed this earth in the form of Aunt Kathy. Her playful expressions and tones. Her sharp wit and contagious laughter. Her affection, her gentle nature. The finality of her being gone is so overwhelming. She was a huge and important part of the family. It’s hard to imagine how life can move forward without her.
I am comforted in knowing that Kathy lived a life that she can feel fulfilled by and proud of. She could leave with peace, knowing that everyone whose life she touched was better for it. She served her community in so many selfless ways, as a volunteer at the Beaverton Police Department and the Beaverton City Library. She served the world as well, by creating expressions of joy and art, through ceramics, dance, and especially ballet.
The only thing more important than the success of her life’s efforts is the level of involvement she had with her friends and loved ones. Involvement, after all, is the greatest measure of one’s quality of life and happiness. She was so involved, that her life and her way are interwoven into the fabric of those who loved her and lived life with her to the point where we don’t even know how to continue on without her. I can’t imagine family without Aunt Kathy. All the normal things we do to recognize milestones or celebrate the little things in life will be different and broken without her. This is all a testament to how involved she really was.
Who will remind us all and teach our youngest members of the family what we believe in and what our relatives for many, many generations have believed in through the Catholic Church? That grounds us to our roots and heritage and connects us with the good that is God. It keeps a common thread connected from our ancestors to our future generations through the stories we tell and lessons we learn, the ethics we identify with, and that shape the lens with which we view the world. That was an ambitious role she took on in our family. I will do my best to pass that torch so that we never forget what it means to know God, or to know Good, (which is really just the same thing) like Aunt Kathy did and does.
She will never be gone. In the same way that her DNA which was passed down through generations moves along through new generations, her essence, which is a culmination of the elders who influenced her, now will be carried forth by those who did life with her. She reminded me so often of my grandparents. In that way, my daughter knew my grandparents by knowing her. Likewise, through my brother, Aaron, and myself, our own great-nieces and great-nephews will know Kathy even though they will not have met her. We carry each other on in pieces. In this way, she will always be with us.
Heather Jarrell, Kathy’s niece
