[Northkeep] Sad tidings

[Jennifer]

Lady Idana Astrid, also known to some as Kathleen “Kat”
Millard, passed away quietly early this morning. 
My chest hurts as I write this, as it is crammed with so many memories
of this amazing woman who befriended me in my early days in the SCA.  Perhaps most vividly, I remember trips to
events that doubled as flight tests as she pushed the envelope of her ’67 Mustang,
all the while belting out Broadway show tunes (and she seemed to know them
all).  She never seemed to sleep at
events, as if she constantly recharged from being with friends.

 

She was a geyser of energy.  She disliked vegetables.  She was a one-woman tunic factory.  She often turned her skills as both an
old-school and CAD draftsman to SCA purposes. 
Her collection of Real Musgrave art was staggering.  Green tourmaline (not the usual blue) was her
favorite gemstone.  She was generous to a
fault.  Rules were merely guidelines. The
maximum life expectancy for her Stage 4 cancer is 5 years.  She pushed it to 8.  Her zest for living and determination to be
herself as she wanted to be stayed with her to the very end.  

 

If you did not have a chance to know the lady, I am
sorry.  If you did, you know you never saw her without a smile on her face.

 

“My candle burns at both ends

It will not last the night

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends

It gives a lovely light.”

-Emily Dickinson

 

In dolore,

 

 

Talana