with heavy heart

This post is a difficult one for me to write. I realize I am usually just writing off the top of my head, and keeping it pretty light. This post is to acknowledge the death of a dear friend of the CHS-Parkersburg site, Missy Jones. Missy died this last week at age 43. She worked with us in several capacities around the turn of the millenium (meaning late 1990's and early 2000's). She was here when many of the most formative values and roots in the neighborhood work we do were formed. She has a huge stamp on our commitment and spirit in working with the families in this neighborhood. She was a warm caring person, who knew a huge number of people around Parkersburg. She was a fun-loving fellow worker to many, and her passing is causing a ripple effect of sadness in the community.
Missy helped get our neighborhood work with children off the ground, with a great enthusiasm and spirit. She and I did all the crazy projects in the early years: the neighborhood garden, (everybody said would be vandalized!!!) the Tinkers computer recycling project, the neighborhood oral history project; the first efforts at implementing William Glasser's work into our youth work (a drug prevention curriculum) and slumber parties for the neighborhood kids, holiday parties, and on and on. As she went on to other caring roles with Head Start, schools, playgrounds, etc. we always kept in touch about individual kids and all the good things going on in the community. She was a great role model at setting goals of education attainment and compassion and a "lifter of spirits."
I ache for her fine four children, all of whom I have watch grow up, and many paralleled my own children's various "rites of passages." (graduations, etc.) They all interconnect with our agency's work in the community in their own ways.
I will be digging through our picture archives, as Missy is a strong presence in our local site history, and her spirit will shine through in these pictures; if tinged with such sadness and regret for her early passing.
Her funeral Saturday was an awesome tribute to the lives she touched. I saw many young people who I know were grieving in numbness, but could solidly say, she had touched their lives in a powerful way.
We will be looking for ways to memorialize her life and contribution here at the Parkersburg site of CHS over the next weeks.