Angie, I Will Remember For You...

The Willy Street house where Angie and Jim lived

On April 6, 2018, a memorial was held at the Essen Haus restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin, to celebrate the lives of my brother in law Jim and my sister Angie, who died tragically of the flu in January.

This post was made possible by Randy McElhose and Laurie Wermter, who organized the memorial at Essen Haus, and by all the other friends of Jim and Angie, who contributed time and money to make the Essen Haus memorial possible.

This post was also made possible by Bill and Joanie, friends of Jim and Angie, at whose urging and invitation,I went to Madison for the Essen Haus memorial. Thank you Bill and Joanie for your kindness and hospitality.

And finally, this post was made possible by Patrik, Jim’s Latin buddy, who spent a day driving me around Madison, so I could experience and get a taste of what Angie’s life was in that very special city.Thank you Patrik for that marvelous day.

Thank you all.

This post celebrates the memories.

Angie, I will remember for you…

Your Memorial

I will remember for you, the April 6, 2018 memorial held in Jim’s and your name, at the Essen Haus, the restaurant where you and Jim had spent many a lively evening, meeting up with friends, and participating in beer challenges.

I will remember for you… the beautiful collage, your co-op neighbors put together for your memorial, with pictures of you and Jim, alongside some Christmas cards you had sent out over the years, alongside the painting of you by an artist called Cara (which I brought back to San Jose with me), alongside a framed picture of Jim from his student days, alongside some of your poetry books.

I will remember for you…the heartwarming picture of around 60 people gathered together at the Essen Haus to celebrate your lives.

I will remember for you, the faces, and some of the names, of the people who came up to me at the memorial, and told me how they knew you - and when they had met you or Jim last. Some had met you just days before you left us.

I will remember for you…the glasses of wine we drank, the steaming meatballs, the shrimp, and all the other wonderful hors doeuvres we ate, served by the cheerful Essen Haus waitress in German dress.

I will remember for you… Randy’s speech, Laurie’s speech, and my reading of The Poet and The Gamer….a poem, I wrote for you, published on my blog earlier.

I will remember for you… the glasses of beer and wine raised to toast you, which Randy concluded his speech by calling everyone to do.

I will remember for you… the 4 poems written by you, your friend Peter Wolff hand-selected to read to the gathering.

Angie, I will also remember for you, pieces of your Madison life….

Your Life in Madison

I will remember for you… the Madison lakes.

I will remember for you…the brisk Madison April weather, not quite ready to say goodbye to winter.

I will remember for you…the charming Willy Street neighborhood, where you and Jim lived for over 40 years, and the distinctive red house you called your home.

I will remember for you….the kitchen where you cooked, the room where your earliest poems were written, the den where Jim cranked out those game reviews.

I will remember for you…the backyard garden you so loved to tend, and the rose plants you were so proud of.

I will remember for you…your dear co-op neighbors, whose lives were intricately woven with yours and Jim’s.

I will remember for you…the building where Jim worked, and where you often went to join him for lunch, and met him and his coworkers, many of whom were at the memorial.

I will remember for you…the majestic Wisconsin State Capitol building, where watching a wedding couple taking pictures, I thought back to how Jim and you, must have gone around the Capitol building in much the same way, when you first got married.

I will remember for you, the Wisconsin Historical Museum, with its 4 floors filled with wonderful artifacts of Wisconsin history, which entranced me, as it no doubt, once entranced you.

I will remember for you…The Great Dane Restaurant and Pub, where I ate my meal, thinking about all the meals and camaraderie you and Jim and your friends must have shared there, on so many summer evenings.

I will remember for you…A Room Of One’s Own, the bookshop where I browsed the books, thinking of your intellectual legacy, as I recalled you had once given poetry readings there.

I will remember for you…the Madison public library, where I walked the book aisles, and thought about how many times your own footsteps must have walked those very same aisles.

I will remember for you…the Trader Joe’s where you liked to shop. I felt a kinship with you to learn from Patrik it was your favorite grocery store. Who knew? You too!

Angie, I will remember all the wonderful things I saw, heard, and experienced.

And if I forget, I will ask all those wonderful Madison folks, who so loved and admired you and Jim, to remind me again.

I love you Angie.  There is an ache in my heart, and I long for your presence again.  I long for the “Angieness” of Angie. My visit to Madison gave me the gift to experience some aspects of the long and interesting life you lived there. I will hold onto the memories as long as I live. And if I forget, I will ask your dear friends to remind me. I will remember, remember, remember.