I liked to make things for her, so I wrote her a poem:-
Tonic
In the cocktail glass
Her pointer finger twirls ice
The clinking
A cordial of comfort
Drawn up and around, swirls down
Her pallet
And the color of water
with a bright coral lipstick kiss
perches delicately on the edge
Proof
She is still here.
It’s been years
since
The geraniums were deadheaded
since
The brush stroked straight
since
Her hands understood
The tender is tired.
And her loves
Her friends
So many
are missed
She said
"They took her lights down and that makes me so sad."
And my buttermilk men
My baby boy
My sage colors
Wait
And her hands
they understood
Proof
She is happy there.
A transcript of the wonderful words shared at the celebration of Libby Dean's life, held at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, 16 April 2011.
A Celebration of the Life of the Lovely Libby Dean
On 16 April 2011, most of the family and many close friends of Libby Dean gathered on a terrifically stormy evening--crucially during the cocktail hour--at the Brandywine River Museum to celebrate her life, which was terribly sadly lost suddenly the week before on 7 April. Although she was a fair age, it was a shock to all of us, as we truly believed she would carry on past 100, particularly as she was larger than life.
I had hoped that I would be visiting her a few months later as consolation for my being made redundant from my job, so it was particularly devastating to be travelling to Chadds Ford without her there. A benefit of being jobless is that I had time to pull together a transcript of what was said, which I always wanted to do as so many people contributed such amazing, warm, lovely and certainly fitting tributes. However, until today (this was posted on Grandmommy's birthday), I could not face revisiting that evening, warm though it was, and hitting my grief head-on. On this first year when I cannot ring her on her birthday for a happy chat, perhaps it's been a bit cathartic. There are certainly some touching memories here. I've set out the full account in case anyone else is interested, in the order in which people spoke. (You can leave comments if you feel so inclined, and please forgive any mispelled names; please let me know of any significant errors).
It was a lovely atmosphere, a room at the Museum filled with caring people, and the Museum kindly let us display several of Grandmommy's wonderful watercolours in the foyer, where a buffet and bar were set up. So in a way finally, after all these years, Libby Dean was exhibited in the Brandywine River Museum with the Wyeths.
I will later add some of my photographs of her and maybe the day, perhaps even a brief video clip of my beautiful grandmother. Principally, I just wanted to make these words available again. I think they make it clear that Libby Dean was a magnificent, unique character who significantly touched many lives. She will always be desperately missed, but her presence will be felt forever.
I had hoped that I would be visiting her a few months later as consolation for my being made redundant from my job, so it was particularly devastating to be travelling to Chadds Ford without her there. A benefit of being jobless is that I had time to pull together a transcript of what was said, which I always wanted to do as so many people contributed such amazing, warm, lovely and certainly fitting tributes. However, until today (this was posted on Grandmommy's birthday), I could not face revisiting that evening, warm though it was, and hitting my grief head-on. On this first year when I cannot ring her on her birthday for a happy chat, perhaps it's been a bit cathartic. There are certainly some touching memories here. I've set out the full account in case anyone else is interested, in the order in which people spoke. (You can leave comments if you feel so inclined, and please forgive any mispelled names; please let me know of any significant errors).
It was a lovely atmosphere, a room at the Museum filled with caring people, and the Museum kindly let us display several of Grandmommy's wonderful watercolours in the foyer, where a buffet and bar were set up. So in a way finally, after all these years, Libby Dean was exhibited in the Brandywine River Museum with the Wyeths.
I will later add some of my photographs of her and maybe the day, perhaps even a brief video clip of my beautiful grandmother. Principally, I just wanted to make these words available again. I think they make it clear that Libby Dean was a magnificent, unique character who significantly touched many lives. She will always be desperately missed, but her presence will be felt forever.
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