Lois Ellen Graessle passed away yesterday afternoon.
There are not enough words to encapsulate Lois who was colourful, sassy, funny, articulate, a friend to everyone regardless of whether they were the hospital cleaner or the chief of oncology, deeply spiritual, an initiator and so the list goes on. She worked with charities, with teenagers in trouble, with outsiders – refugees, mental health, prisons and writers at risk. Many, many people will miss her.
In her inimitable style, she managed to complete her book “Blessed Mess: Tales of Living, Loving and Dying with Stuff“, illustrated by Steven Appleby just a couple of weeks ago and the dummy book arrived from the publisher a few hours before she passed away. Her sister, brother-in-law and brother from the States were with her.
We were 10 minutes away – I was by chance in London with the group ‘Open Books’ that she ‘made happen’. It was a poignant meeting to start with because we knew that we would be saying goodbye soon, and while I was halfway through my daily painting of a white rose, at the group, we heard the sad news. This rose was completed in sorrow and is named for her.
This is all too close to home, and I don’t have the words for the emotions. But if you’d like to read a little more about her, check out this link: The February giveaway and Lois Graessle’s story.
Lois Ellen Graessle, aka Scarlett Magnolia, RIP.
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