Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Pennina


Thanksmom and Pennina had been weekly penpals for several years, after meeting online through BookCrossing. She has written this lovely memorial, and I appreciate her letting me use it here. 

"In Richard Bach’s book Illusions there is a special message about family: “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” This best describes my feelings about a friend I met on-line at Bookcrossing yet never met in person. Pennina, or more properly Eleanor or “Candy”, and I had a friendship that stretched beyond many boundaries. She and I wrote weekly letters for over 5 years. Living in different countries, Candy in England and me in the US, and having a 10 year gap in age was never an issue, just differences to be explored. We wrote about friends and family, likes and dislikes, mundane everyday things, and a wide range of common interests that actually required research to expand on. Candy liked to challenge people, which sometimes didn’t work so well in on-line posts but was extremely enjoyable in our correspondence. I miss my friend Candy and I do indeed feel as if she were family. Even if we never managed to sit together face to face I did feel as if we knew each other and my only regret is that our planned meeting in 2010 will now never be."

Pennina was a vital and interesting part of the BookCrossing community, and we miss her there.

The PenninaBookshelf

Bumma



I never got to meet Bumma, but as with so much of BookCrossing, that never seemed to matter. Through her daughter Bookczuk's lovely Bumma Stories, I knew her. And I called her a friend. 

If I had to write one sentence that reminded me of Bumma, it would be, "I came, I saw, I conquered". It's very apt for many areas of her life. She certainly conquered the heart of Eli, her beloved husband and soulmate. It applies to her education, when she accomplished many things in a field many women had yet to conquer. It was true for the medical issues that she dealt with for much of her adult life. And it applies to many of us in BookCrossing. Her wit and charm earned her friends around the world. 

It was a life well-lived. .

Bumma's obituary in the Charleston paper.

The Bumma Bookshelf

Snowshoee

Snowshoee left us far too soon. Many of us didn't know her while she was an active BookCrosser. However, after she got sick, her fellow BookCrossers in Portugal, kept us informed of her progress. Through this, many of us learned to care for this lovely young woman as she fought the battle for her life.

Her family and friends started a blog for her, Querida Snowshoee. Many of the posts have been translated to English, and you can read her letter to those she feared she was leaving behind. (Note: This blog is still online as of this date, November 2, 2010. If at some point in the future you notice that the link doesn't work, please let me know.

I guess the part that resonated with me was her last sentence, "Fight for the animals, fight for people, fight for this world ..." If we all remember her wishes, it's a nice legacy.


The Snowshoee Bookshelf


A Snowshoee deixou-nos demasiado cedo. Muitos de nós não a conhecemos quando era BookCrosser activa. No entanto, depois de ela adoecer, os BookCrossers portugueses mantiveram-nos informados sobre o seu progresso. Devido a isso, muitos de nós aprendemos a gostar desta jovem adorável que travava uma batalha pela vida.

Os seus familiares e amigos fundaram um blog, Querida Snowshoee, onde podemos ler a carta que ela escreveu para os que receava deixar. (Nota: o blog continua online nesta data, October 11, 2009. Se algures no futuro verificarem que o link não funciona, informem-me, por favor.)
Creio que a parte que mais me tocou foi a sua última frase: 'Lutem pelos animais, lutem pelas pessoas, lutem por este mundo...' Se todos recordarmos os seus desejos, é um bom legado.

Bookshelf da Snowshoee

Special thanks to Marcenda for the translation and the picture.

Twiggywig


Twiggywig joined BookCrossing in 2004. She was an active participant in BookCrossing and BookObsessed. She had such an active and interesting life that it's hard to summarize in a few words.

Her son, Bookcrosser Peterwortham, said that she loved her family, dogs, roses, and books. She was a champion rose grower and had won awards for her skills, as well as being an accomplished sculpter, and a teacher.

Her family has posted a lovely memorial to her here.

The Twiggywig Bookshelf 

Yellow-Star

We lost our friend, Yellow-Star, of Belgium, on October 28, 2008, at the too-young age of 19. She was an active member of the Dutch forum and very creative with her book releases. 

Her father, Paps, is taking over her bookshelf in her honor. 

In the words of fellow BookCrosser, Talamasca, "She will now take her place in the sky and twinkle forever."

The Yellow-Star Bookshelf

Jmg49

One of jmg49's children posted this message in the forums. 

"This message is to anyone who knew jmg49. His name was John. He is my father and he hasn't been on here for a while. This is because he passed away on March 12 of a heart attack. He loved reading and bookcrossing and he came on here quite frequently. This was something he really enjoyed and he will be greatly missed. He had a great sense of humour and cherished the relationships he had with people in his life. I just thought that I should post something on here in his memory. Thank you for helping make his life enjoyable."

Jmg49 was an active forum participant, and his kindness, wisdom, and friendliness will linger in our memory. He is missed.

The Jmg49 Bookshelf 

Bookiejunkie1





Bookjunkie passed away in March, 2007. She was an active bookcrosser and had many friends in the forums. 

The Bookjunkie1 Bookshelf 

Kamalamalama


We lost our friend Kamalamalama on October 7, 2006. In looking through the forum, it becomes obvious that Kamalamalama lived life to the fullest, and lived it with joy and generosity. She is greatly missed among our bookcrossing community.

The Kamalamalama Bookshelf

McBeth





McBeth passed away in the Fall of 2006. She was a very active member of the Miami Bookcrossing gatherings and is greatly missed.

The McBeth Bookshelf 

Raycansella


Raycansella died suddenly and unexpectedly on June 10, 2006. From her husband Roger: 

"Carolyn greatly enjoyed Book-Crossing- not only the leaving of books but also the forums, games, and the people she met online. We have got books she acquired stacked up all over the place which she intended to put out. I hope to, in time, get enough energy to continue releasing books in her honor. I am sure she would have wanted that.
Although Carolyn never wanted to be caught releasing books herself, she didn't seem to mind if I was caught in the act
Carolyn loved books and loved reading. She had a Master of Science Degree in Library Science and had worked for over 12 years as a professional librarian in California and Florida"

On a personal note from Wren: I had mentioned once that I hadn't been able to convert my town into a book releasing place. After that, whenever she passed through here on her travels, she made a point to release several books for me to find. I guess this town is full of more readers than I thought, since I never was able to catch one! I will miss her.

The Rancansella Bookshelf