In Memoriam

Tonight I was perusing the memoriam site. I found so many friends. Reminded me of a poem I wrote for my niece. She died in August 2002. This week as you know I missed the reunion because we had a family reunion of our own in Long Beach. In 2002 the family reunion was held in her home in Selah , Washington. We rafted twenty plus miles down the Yakima river starting near Central Washington College. Our hostess the person she was hardly hurried us home. Unknown to us her husband was in a Triathlon meet in Calgary Canada and they were waiting for us to leave to leave to drive and fly to Calgary.

So as soon as the last car departed they were loaded up and following us across the pass. Mom did not fly so Staci allowed her husband catch a plane. She would rent a motorhome and drive Mom and the kids. On Monday they rented a motor home and were returning to Mom's house in Edmonds to load it up. The accident was big news and the TV pictures were horrible. All that was left of the car that hit them and the motor home burned out frames. the driver of the Porsche crossed the centerline and drove head on at ninety plus miles per hour into the motorhome. The reaction time for Staci was, "OH my God!" Thankfully It proved she died instantly on inpact. I will not say anything more about the other driver other than he was a Microsoft big wig and unhappy he didn't get the upgrade he wanted.

Yet another sad part of the story. We as family heard about Staci's death listening to the radio. "Two people were killed on highway 2 tonight in a tragic accident. One was a migrant worker from Selah. Washington, Staci---" and her name was given. I thought I heard wrong. She was at home cleaning up from mess left behind by 26 guests. The driver of the Porsche's name cannot be given until the next of kin is notified. First off Staci was not a migrant worker. She graduated from Washington State University undergraduate school and Boise State Masters degree in business. She was a head Market manager at Tree top foods. Her family had not been notified. All of us heard it in disbelief on the radio.

Mom and children were in the car following. They saw it all. Step dad crawled from the burning motor home with a broken leg. Mom and Step dad couldn't open the door it was badly crushed when the car exploded in flames and they were pulled away. This is the poem I wrote standing at her funeral as the children sent yellow and blue balloons into the sky.

INMEMORIAM

To soar
To seek
Embrace the sky
but alas
No wings have I
Her walk so gentle
Yet aloft
As a bird on its maiden flight
Her voice so gentle
A mere whisper in the night
No more beautiful woman
I must say
That she as beautiful
Coming towards
as the day she went on her way