Jess Bowling said...Ode to Gerry...
Gerry was one of us... There's no doubt about that. In an exhaustingly persistent and omnipresent sea of conformity, group-think and pretense, Gerry was always there with her unabashed wit and independent spirit.
An iconoclast in every sense of the word - she wouldn't think twice about espousing the philosophies of Buddha, while poking her head out of one of the notches of the Bible Belt.
She was a complex and lovely person who could remind you of how beautiful the world can be.
She could move you to tears with the paralyzing beauty of her calligraphic talents, while simultaneously inciting uncontrollable, convulsive laughter with a string of expletives that could make even the most hardened of sailors cringe in disbelief.
That was Gerry...
She was as wise as she was lovely and as lovely as she was wise. She had grace, she had style and, above all, she believed in the future.
She could talk of Native Americans' centuries old belief that we should live as a people who considered the outcomes of the next seven generations.
Cynicism was not her friend. In fact, I don't think it was ever allowed in her house - that "fucking Rose of Sharon," she would say.
They broke the mold when they made Gerry... I can safely say that for all of my travels, I've never met anyone quite like her.
To be in her presence was a treat and I savored every moment with her. She radically altered my naive conceptions of what getting older might be like. With Gerry, the idea of one turning 80 years old was less like Lawrence Welk and more like Studio 54.
Gerry rocked and I'll never forget her for it... She had more magic in a single fingernail than most have in their entire bodies.
Click the parchment for a large detailed image
 | Steve's look at the Blue Ridge Mountains Blue Ridge Parkway - Jul 31, 2008 by Jak & Dar Our visit to the Mountains and Farewell to Gerry. Photos by Steve Killian |
Dear Dr. Miller – Thank you for your email of June 25th. I talked with you on the phone last week, I believe it was, and told you then that we had received one memorial gift for your mother from Steve and Lee Killian of Charlotte, NC. Also I sent you an acknowledgement card, addressed to your and your brother Johnny, stating the same.
The address people should use for the Memorial Gifts for your mother is: FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
PO Box 20986
Roanoke, VA 24018
Yes, your mother was a member of FRIENDS for many years, and we also want to honor her memory. Her name will be written in gold on recyclable paper and distributed in the planting soil as a memorial tree is planted at our next Viewshed planting on the Parkway. Also, her name, and those that send in Memorial gifts in her name, will be listed in our Spring/Summer 2009 High Vista newsletter.
You mentioned earlier that you would like to become a member of FRIENDS. When you join you will automatically receive a copy of the High Vista newsletter through the mail twice a year. Also, by sending in your email address you will also receive an enewsletter every month, giving you updates as to what is happening along the Parkway. I am going to send you a FRIENDS brochure today.
