In Memoriam

[kcobweb]

I don't even remember the first time I met allthatjazmyne. She was a freshman when I was a sophomore in high school. She was in band, like virtually all my friends were - she played the baritone (I think one of the only girls who played low brass). She was tall, even then, with pale skin and dark hair. Yeah - she stood out, and was totally striking.

We weren't super-close, but we knew each other all through high school and hung out with the same crowd. She was a little boy-crazy, I thought (and she would agree with that). I remember some high drama over guys between her and a couple of friends. She and our friend M used to wear high heels - adding several inches to put them both close or over 6 feet tall - and then complain that none of the guys were tall enough to match them.

I have a very vivid memory of a choir trip to Great Falls where she and I shared a seat on the bus, trying to stay warm under a heavy denim quilt and mocking a romance novel. I know she remembered this too.

Once we hit college, we traded letters and then occasional emails. And then, a couple of years ago, she stumbled on my LJ profile and realized it was me. It was fabulous reconnecting with her. I last saw her 2 years ago - I was stopping off in Montana on my way to Massachusetts, and she came up to visit family. We had lunch, and wandered around downtown Billings just a little, talking and shopping.

18 months ago, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. Things were looking good for a while, but then she had a recurrence, and frankly stopped talking about it as much. I kind of suspected that things weren't going so well.

Julia was admitted the hospital Friday with a clot in her lung, and died peacefully last night. Good night, sweet girl.

Comments

[sanj.livejournal.com]

Oh, my god, I'm so sorry.

You can stop losing your friends so young any time now.

*love*

[megastoat.livejournal.com]

oh, i'm so sorry. how horribly unfair.

tho I'm glad you got to reconnect before this happened.

[kassrachel.livejournal.com]

May you be comforted along with all who mourn, and may her memory be a blessing.

[jenelope.livejournal.com]

I loved reading this. As someone who got to know Julia in our 30s, it's nice to read something about what she was like when she was younger.

She and our friend M used to wear high heels - adding several inches to put them both close or over 6 feet tall - and then complain that none of the guys were tall enough to match them.

This, in particular, sounds like the Jaz I knew. Thank you for commenting on my post and letting me see this.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I needed connections with her friends this morning - none of my LJ friends knew her.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Her mom just emailed me - and I posted it here (http://kcobweb.livejournal.com/254512.html). Feel free to point Julia's other friends there.

[jenelope.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I will definitely post a link to the e-mail. And I know what you mean about connecting with the people who knew her. There's such an outpouring of love for her on LJ, TWoP and Snarkfest. It feels better to share.

[escap1974.livejournal.com]

I saw your comment on jenelope's lj, and wanted to come over and say hello.

I loved your entry... and it described Julia so very well. I'm sorry such a great person is gone from this world so soon.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Thank you - as I just told jenelope, I really needed to connect with Julia's friends this morning, because none of my LJ friends knew her. So I'm pleased that you came over, and glad you liked my post. ....It feels so inadequate.

[escap1974.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel.

Your post isn't inadequate at all. It's great. Julia wouldn't want us to mope around and be sad... she'd want us to remember good things. Which is exactly what you did. It's fitting.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Words don't feel like enough....

Her mom just emailed me - and I posted it here (http://kcobweb.livejournal.com/254512.html). Feel free to point Julia's other friends there.

[escap1974.livejournal.com]

Thank you, I will.

I've added you to my friends list as well, if you don't mind.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Not at all - glad to have you here.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

I also saw your comment in jenelope's LJ and came over to say Hello. I hope you didn't mind but I re-posted Julia's Moms e mail in my LJ. And I added you to my flist to that you can read my post (my LJ is flocked) and see all the lovely comments people left about Julia.

I'm really going to miss seeing her posts and hearing about her life.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

I've seen you around some of the library communities, I believe (I think I might wanna be a librarian when I grow up).

I think Julia's mom reads my LJ on occasion, and I told her I was posting it - so as long as she doesn't mind, I don't! I don't have many ways to reach Julia's LJ friends, since I don't know most of you. Yet. :)

[saltcod.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry.
*hugs* and more *hugs*

[elklad.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry. Even with the diagnosis 18 months ago, it seems so abrupt.

I'm glad you shared a bit of your history together. I remember seeing a couple of her posts and wondering who she was, as I do about most unfamiliar posters I see on friends' blogs.

[kouredios.livejournal.com]

So, so sorry to hear about your friend.

[journeywoman.livejournal.com]

I'm so sorry. :(

[boylawyer.livejournal.com]

So sorry to hear about this. Saying "that sucks" seems deeply inadequate, but I'm afraid that it's really all I have. Glad you managed to reconnect before this all went down.

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

Dying of cancer at 35? I think "sucks" is one of the few words that can express that. :)

[tea-dragon.livejournal.com]

I'm so very sorry. It sounds like a good time to curl up under a denim quilt again for a while.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

I think I'd seen her comment in your journal before and thought her name was a fun play on words. She sounds like she was a lovely person, and it's a shame when those people aren't here any longer. I'm sorry.