On June 7 we took Darryl's ashes to The Graveyard Fields and Waterfall on the Blue Ridge Parkway to flow in the waters there. Nearly one hundred people: friends, family, acquaintances, neighbors, and many who knew Darryl as long as I did or longer, expressed their affection for him, the sense of loss we all feel, the sadness of such a sudden and unexpected death. The beautiful mountain landscape and waterfall provided the ideal setting for those of us who made this pilgrimage to honor Darryl. Long may he remain in our hearts, our feelings, out memories, and our thoughts. I still recall Darryl's reading me the story of spirits who said that they would exist so long as loved ones remembered them.
Here are some photographs of our ceremony. I want to emphasize that for me the task now is to move from grief to celebration. Darryl deserves our admiration and praise for his generosity, his contribution to medical writing, his sharp wit and intellect, his lack of selfishness (almost to a flaw). He had incredible empathy for others, always kind words for all but the most wicked.
As a volunteer, in the 1990s, he worked in a hospice for those dying of AIDS. In 2008 and 2010 he served as a volunteer at Kalani on Hawaii's Big Island, working in the kitchen and helping with high tech development in Kalani's administration. In his decade of service as an editor and writer at the Emory School of Medicine, Darryl published extensive articles on health research, including an article on Alzheimer Disease that won an award from the American Medical Association in Atlanta. Darryl served as President of the Atlanta Chapter of the American Medical Writers Association. Darryl also attended numerous medical conferences, including a program in Neurology given by Harvard University in New England. After Emory, Darryl served as a medical editor and program director at WebMD. Among other accomplishments, Darryl taught Creative Writing in the Adult Education Department of Emory. He also wrote numerous articles for the Arthritis Foundation.
Few people have the blessing of such a remarkable 35-year relationship, one that has made my life rich and rewarding. Darryl gave my life passion, appreciation for the good qualities of life, the joy of an intense and beautiful intimacy. We traveled over much of the world together year after year. How fortunate I was the night that handsome young man walked into our mutual hallway, wearing a long nightshirt, carrying a copper candlestick with a burning candle, and telling me, yes, he knew who Karen Finley is, that he loved her art work and performances.
Darryl waves from the Top of Graveyard Falls
On the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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