Vickie Enkoff update

Short version:
Mom (Vickie Enkoff) died about 1 pm today, Aug 17, 2007. She went swiftly surrounded by her family. She asked us not to have a funeral- she wants only a celebration at the house. We would love to decorate the house with art from you that celebrates her life. Please send to Grady Enkoff, 14961 Valencia Ave, Fontana, CA 92335


Long version:

Dear friends,

As you have heard, my mother passed away today at about 1pm. She had been fighting with a muscle disease, polymyositis, for many years and had been in a wheel chair for about 4. Many people didn’t know this, because she did more stuff than the average person… running a business, moderating several yahoo groups, participating in lots of swaps, and acting as a mentor and friend to many people. The internet was a real community for her, and changed her life. The people she communicated with changed her life. I know she was a bright spot in many of yours, too.

Last night while getting in to bed, mom started having a hard time breathing. She told my dad to call 911, and told him she was going to die. She stopped breathing, and they did not get her breathing again until she got to the hospital 20 minutes later- a long oxygen deprivation. I flew in from Portland, OR, at 6am, and got to the hospital at 9. My sister, dad, aunt, uncle, and other friends stood around her bed and held her hands as her heart came to a slow stop at about 1pm today.

For a long time, her body has not kept up with her brain. She had recently decided to sell the stamp company, wanting to focus more time on writing and less on manufacturing. She made and sold zine, stamps, and other supplies. She built relationships with her customers and mentored other business owners, shared info generously.

Mom had a Masters in Psychology, worked in child protection many years, ran the stamp business for many. She is adored by her grandchildren. Kristofer, my 13yo son had a trip planned to come see her next week- I offered to have him come during my planned trip to CA next month, and he refused, saying he didn’t want to share her with me- they would read long science fiction novels together, and she smothered him with attention. Rain, my 6yo niece, has known she was an artist since she was 2, mostly because of her own box of art supplies stashed in mom’s art room, her own bound journals, and frequent art dates with my mom.

We are heartbroken, but also honoring mom’s request to celebrate her life. She did not want a funeral, wanted us only to have a party at the house. We want to decorate this party with art that celebrates her life. Please send your art to the address above.

We’d also like to keep the memorial wishes all in one place. Already I’ve printed out 12 pages of emails from those with warm thoughts. Please post condolence comments to my blog so I can share them with my family:

You can send flowers, and we’d appreciate that, but your art even more so.

We will process orders that are outstanding in the upcoming weeks. I hope to post an update to her website tomorrow, but I am sure that this email will travel across the net even faster, mom was well-connected.

Thanks for all your thoughts and warm wishes. We appreciate knowing the breadth of mom’s touch. When we are ready for a party, we will send the word out for locals.

Sincerely,
Melanie