OT: My Mom

["Rick Walker/Loop.pooL" <GLOBAL@cruzio.com>]

Dear Everyone at Loopers Delight,

I realize that you all have in a very palpable way have become part of my
family, so I wanted to share this with you:


My Mom.

My mother was always a firebrand. From as young as I can remember she 
always
had an idealistic cause that she fought for.    She had a razor sharp
intellect and was highly educated.  She didn't suffer fools gladly, but she
always had a strong sense of morality
and the fact that it is a relative thing in this world.

She taught my brother and sister and I to care about people and to guard 
and
nurture a strong sense of optimism about the world, even as crazy and
hopeless as it sometimes seems.   She taught us to try to love and at least
understand and have compassion (when that wasn't possible) for all people,
no matter what their circumstances.

She championed education and was, at various times, a teacher, a chemist 
and
a homemaker. She urged us not to let institutions of learning hold us back
from the true passion of learning and was a voracious reader and a great
lover of art and music (having played drums and violin as a
kid)...............especially her beloved Opera (a form of music that I
ironically never shared a passion for).    She frequently read a book a day
as I was growing up.

  If you have ever appreciated the work that Bill and I have done or the
dedication we have had to our community (both in Santa Cruz and here at
Loopers Delight) you have to thank my mother.................really!.

 Bill had a constant looping gig (yeah, they DO exist, believe it or not) 
at
a local classy restaurant.   My mom went to every gig he played there and
could always be seen
nibbling on a desert and taking pictures of the performance.

  She constantly chronicled and championed our music careers and always
encouraged us to follow our hearts and to stay supportive of one another.
We owe so much to her.

My beloved mother,  Mary Lee Jensen/Walker passed away this last week.

 She was sharp as a tack up until a surgery and she felt no pain 
afterwards.
She was at peace with herself; dearly loved and supported by her children
and family and had no fear of death, which is an unbelievable blessing.  I
only hope that we will all be so lucky when our time comes.

Bill, Allee, and I and all our loving partners (Nancy, Ken and Chris) will
miss her more than we can possibly say.

She was one of the good ones.


sadly yours,
Rick Walker