Karen Gay Nelsen

Born September 5, 1956 Died September 1, 2008

The worlds most wonderful, cynical, giving,
painfully honest, wickedly funny, beautiful, adventurous, botanical, and darling aunt.

Her funeral was last Saturday, and as you can see below, rather difficult for many of us to take. But, if you can judge anybody by anything, I think a good measure might be their friends. The people who came for Karen, mourned for Karen, spoke for Karen... all were such amazing people that I can't help but think that that silly room glowed with all the goodness in it.

I played my flute before the ceremony, it was one of the hardest things I've every done. Don't know why I didn't expect this, but there you go. I cried so hard that every breath I took burbled. Makes playing an adventure I can tell you. (As a side note, I've now done 4 weddings and 3 funerals. Somebody I love really needs to get married soon, that is entirely to close for comfort!)
Karen's friend Gretchen put together these lovely posters of all our pictures

The water lily is a plant that Karen gave her friend Laurel, it hasn't bloomed in the 4ish years shes had it, but it bloomed Friday, Karen's 52nd birthday.
Karen had recently retaken up ballroom dancing. There must have been 20 of her fellow dancers lining the back wall.
This was a collection of all the momentos she had hanging around her house.
Karen had so very many friends, and from such an incredibly long stretch of time... Diana on the left is a friend from grade school. When her family moved to Oregon in the 8th grade, the girls kept in contact through letters, something that continued for close to 40 years. Diana told me that they hardly ever spoke on the phone, and once, when she called after the 1989 earthquake, Karen got mad at her and told her to get off the phone, a letter was coming.
The two women in the middle were part of her high school gang of 5, a wild bunch of girls that had amazing stories and adventures.
There was also a gang of college friends that went camping every year. They aren't at this table, but Ian is in the group shot later.
And on the right are Laurel and Gretchen, two amazing ladies who walked with Karen every Sunday morning for who knows how many years in Karen's home town of Napa California.

Here's the group of us after the service. Not everyone of course, but the crew who hauled. Ian and his wife Margaret are on the left. It really was a bit of a party, albeit sad as hell, and I was so grateful to meet all the wonderful people who loved Karen. Wish it had happened before etc, but... When I get over being mad at her for leaving us... I am going to be so sad for the world and its loss of this amazing lady.
One of the good things about the weekend is that the 4 cousins finally were all in the same room at the same time! I found this picture in Karen's stash. Now, it wasn't quite that long ago that we saw each other, but...
Look how we've grown! I love my family.