PEACE for iflitifloat - Rest in Peace, dear friend- Page 15

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 3:39pm

I only wish I could hear what Rachel would be saying right now.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 4:06pm

If flitty as with me right now she would be saying, "Really, Sueleen? Teen Momathon? REALLY?"

[Broadwayboobs]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 6:19pm

PJ, I hear her saying: "Glebby, come over here and read this!"

[mominator]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 7:31pm

BB< that is just what I was thinking!

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 8:50pm

I bet she's chatting with BigFatBlonde, too.

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 6/10/12 at 9:55pm

I wish there was a 'like' button, so I could like Boob's post!

Amber, I thought the same thing when I saw it was gone after midnight. Rob posted the Logo with the Peace sign next to it on Rachel's FB page yesterday. The same thing that JbaraFan posted here.

[sabrelady]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 12:07am

Boobs what a terrific thought and image- gives me real comfort.

*sigh* I've got this weird thing happening w my mother's health and Iflit woulda been one of the people i'd turn to advise as a fellow nurse- I am gonna really miss those little colleague pep talks.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:57am

What loving tributes! Peace to Iflit!!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 3:53pm

Goodness, this is such sad news. I only met Rachel a few times at the old BWW gatherings back home but as everyone has already said, she just radiated such an incredible, constant kindness and joy. A wonderful person who will be missed and who I'm glad to have known.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 4:16pm

Rest in peace!!

I'm so sorry for each of you who were such good friends.

She will certainly be missed, which is the best tribute someone can have.

Hugs to you all!

[Elphaba]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 4:23pm

We were supposed to meet on several occasions when I was in NYC, but something always came up on both sides. She was one of the nicest people here, and I will miss her terribly. She always had a kind word, and good advice.
She was the type of person we all need to strive to be like.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 5:09pm

She was the type of person we all need to strive to be like.

Truer words were never spoken, Elph. Rachel was a role model for what the best of humankind could be.


Sueleen actually screencapped this.

[smartpenguin78]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 6:07pm

I was certainly hoping for a happier update.
It is good that now Flity can rest though.
Her life and zest and spirit still resound in each of us.

The tributes are beautiful- from us in words, from BWW in visual, and now going forward in action with the donations and other challenges to defeat this disease, and the others that strike so close to our hearts.

Peace, Iflitifloat. You are loved.

[Orion2]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 6:36pm

This is very sad news. I was contacted by an old friend who let me know of Rachels passing, this tribute thread and asked me to stop by and say something about Rachel.
I imagine Rachel looking down and laughing with satisfaction knowing that, after so many years away from BW, she is the reason I would come back to a place where I once squandered far too much time. She always got her way with me in the end. Thats because anyone who knew this amazing and wonderful person would find it hard to say no to anything she asked; just she found it hard to ever say no to a friend.
In the earliest days of BW, Iflit and I gravitated to one another. I cant remember exactly how the friendship developed because it seems it was always there. Although we lost contact with one another over the past years or so and had been reduced to the occasional FB comment and a quick How are you message, those previous years of close friendship is something I will cherish always.
In thinking about Rachel, three memories keep comi ng to mind. One is a time we sat in a theater watching a terrible play and the way we exchanged looks whenever anyone in the audience dared to laugh at the horrible dialogue and jokes. Another is a time I was given the task of buying avocados for the salad she was preparing for brunch. I came back with two that were very past their prime. Rachel; insisted that I take them back and exchange them or get a refund. I explained that I am a Bostonian and we dont do that, we accept that weve been taken advantage of. Her response was Get your ass back to that store and act like a New Yorker. Dont take any ****.
The final memory that keeps playing in my mind is of being sick and telling only Rachel and one or two of our other mutual friends of my health issues. I recall coming home from the hospital, tired, depressed and weak from a series of tests, probes needles etc. I hadnt felt like talking to anyone and was trying to withdraw from the world. I sat there half heartedly looking through the mail and came across a package from Rachel. Inside was a hand forged copper peace sign and a simple note letting me know that she was there if I needed to talk. I smiled; I cried and hung that peace sign in my window as a constant reminder of the importance of friends.
To me, these stories represent Rachel perfectly; a friend who you could share a joke with (even at the expense of strangers), someone who would give you a kick in the ass and a person who was always there for her friends even when they tried to push her away.
Rest in peace, Rachel and add your beautiful voice to the choir of angels

[Bluemoon]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 6:53pm

Orion - first, welcome back. You've been missed.

Your tribute is one of the best I've read - it captures so much of her terrific spirit. Thanks for returning to share.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:13pm

Thanks for coming back and posting that, Orion.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:30pm

"I bet she's chatting with BigFatBlonde, too."

Did I miss something? Is BFB no longer with us?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:32pm

As the story goes - though inexplicably threads were deleted - someone posted saying he was a friend of hers and that she'd lost a battle with cancer. I don't know that anyone else could verify. I believe that BigFatBlonde knew Rathnait, so maybe she could confirm it, but Rathnait never posts here anymore.

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:42pm

Oh dear...

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 9:46pm

If I wracked my brain, I could probably figure out more. Like iflit, I've always had a steel trap of a brain for bww trivia.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:16pm

Orion! You have been missed. What a beautiful post about Rachel. Thank you for taking the time to share.

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 10:45pm

oh, Orion. How lovely to read your words, and relive some very special memories.

I echo all those who say how sorry we are that we have to gather under such circumstances, but your words are very meaningful.

[Calvin]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 11:20pm

May I add my voice to the chorus of people who had the pleasure of meeting this lovely lady a few times -- so very, very sorry to hear about this indeed. I never changed my avatar from the initial time Addy asked us to show our support, and I shan't for some time now.

Addy, has anything been set up as far as memorial donations or such?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 6/11/12 at 11:48pm

Calvin, thank you for asking.

Her husband has shared that if anyone would like to make a donation in Rachel's honor or memory, that the family requests donations to the National Kidney Foundation.

And, don't forget to register to be an Organ Donor.


(If anyone would like to make the donation in Rachel's name, please PM me for her full name)


National Kidney Foundation - donations link

Updated On: 6/11/12 at 11:48 PM

[JerseyGirl2]

Posted: 6/12/12 at 6:01am

My Rachel story has really been with me a lot this week, so I wanted to share it, though it's an Addy story, too. The second time I got to meet Rachel was at a party at D2's house. I had some pretty serious social anxiety back then, so even getting there was a task. I was sitting on the living room floor. I don't know how it happened, but the topic of conversation turned to coming out or parents or something and I shared how my parents were very non-supportive (at the time.) I spoke about the fact that my mom basically told me I was not gay, it was just me trying to "belong" somewhere and that we would just not discuss it again. (My father refused to discuss it at all.) I had never really thought about it being a particularly bad reaction. It just was what it was, I suppose. When I looked at Rachel and NYadgal, they both wore a look of total compassion and empathy. I believe it was Addy who said she was so sorry that my mom had reacted that way and Rachel said something about a mother's love extending beyond what may be expected. I wish I could remember the exact words, but they weren't the important part. The support and acceptance behind them was what hit me.

Their combined reaction to my story meant more to me than I can ever put into words. My mom is 56, so she was near Rachel's age. To have a straight woman from my mom's generation, someone I barely knew, react to me in such a kindness and compassion touched me. I knew both of these women were very special. It was just a moment, but I am very very thankful for it. I have a lot of self-esteem issues and have to deal with a lot of feeling unworthy. That moment is one of memories I keep in my back pocket for when I need to remember that I am worthy.

Updated On: 6/12/12 at 06:01 AM