In Memoriam

I got the phone call yesterday while the trucks were being loaded.

Dara passed away Friday night, May 26th.

I lived with Dara McLaughlin in the early 1990’s, and she changed my life.

I learned a great deal from her, all the way up until our last conversation, most of which does not transfer well into words. The best way I can describe her gift to me is that she modeled and encouraged a style of living that was not simply striving for excellence, but to do so with grace and dignity; with class.

Dara was also possessed of superb social intelligence, and boundless interest in the lives of others that was rooted in loving compassion. She had a way of making everyone feel welcomed into her world.

No matter how long you may know the end is coming, it still feels like a surprise. I still had hope that she would recover, and that there would be more “Darasarts,” more books written, more art made…

I will miss her more than I can say.