It’s not that we were close. We were friendly acquaintances. But she was always there. She was a solid birding resource, working all over the valley protecting birds and habitat. Visible. Available. I could call her, and she would help me through difficult I.D.s, and with recording unusual sightings. We would run into each other out watching birds from time to time.
Then I heard she died. I didn’t even know about her health issues until after the fact.
This spring, I ran across this memorial at the National Butterfly Center. I wasn’t expecting it. I was just out for a walk to the river. It struck me out of the blue. It brought her right back to my thoughts. I’m glad it’s there.
I love the quote about why she spent the last ten years helping out the Butterfly Center as a volunteer:
“Because butterflies are good bird food.”
Her sense of humor.