Again this is David M. Brooks III Sophie’s husband posting for Sophie…. I am inviting Sophie’s and my Connecticut, RI, and Massachusetts friends and family to join me at the Mystic Funeral Home in Mystic Connecticut on Saturday October 1st at 1PM., at 51 Williams Avenue, note that is “Avenue” not “Street” or “Road.”
I put an obituary announcing this in the Sunday Hartford Courant which was shorter than the versions I put in the Community Advertiser and the Kennebec Journal which text I have posted here, the Hartford Courant is a little pricy. I also sent out notes announcing the memorial gathering on cards that Sophie had bought at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC with Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings many many years ago, she loved that art which we had seen at exhibitions in Boston and New York, and was looking forward to seeing it in the Paris museums… we were going to get Paris museum passes and in the seven days we were going to spend in Paris go and see… everything. She was very excited about that, and I was also.
On Saturday September 17th we had a gathering at our house in Winthrop for Sophie’s friends in Maine, it was a beautiful day and about 25 people came or at least stopped by; neighbors, many of Sophie’s work friends over the years, and her former and a few of my current clients. Several people called who couldn’t come with kind words, and neighbors brought food. And I have received a number of cards with comforting notes. To everybody who called , sent cards, came to the September 17th memorial thank you. I would especially like to thank Mary Ester Hannon who reached out to me and helped organize the memorial, I had not met her but Sophie talked about her all the time, she was Sophie’s “personal trainer” who motivated her to walk at lunch. Also thanks to Karon Savage who had Bank of America buy food, Chad Vincent for getting it, Dawn Bission who also reached out to help organize it and brought food… Sophie used to talk about how Dawn would bring in delicious baked treats all the time and sometimes would bring some home. I am also appreciative to my brother Steven and his wife Anna who came up from Florida immediately after I shared my sad news, and helped me prepare for the memorial, and have called me every day with support. My brother also sent me a photo book he made of a trip that he, his wife, their son Mitcheleson and Sophie and I took to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park in mid-July, and people seemed to like it. I would also like to thank Grace Harris, daughter of my old friend Malcolm Harris for driving up to Winthrop Maine from Norwalk Connecticut to be here, and for Harris family friend Shakier (whose name I no doubt misspelled) who drove her up; that was a very caring gesture.
Many of Sophie’s current and former co-workers who came on the 17th were people whose names I had heard over and over as Sophie related the stories (and drama) of her day, and even the ones I had not met before I felt I knew. I am glad you all could come and share Sophie’s, our house, which I think reflects her personality and tastes. As said, she wanted to host her friends at our house we just didn’t make it happen very much… for which I am sad. Many of her friends talked warmly and emotionally about Sophie, sharing memories… several mentioned her kindness but also her toughness… for example how she would put an abusive customer in his place. I wish I had recorded her friends sharing so I could listen again, the one thing that gives me comfort is sharing memories about Sophie.
I asked people to share memories in a “Celebration of Life Journal” – only some people got to it but it was nice to read the comments of those who did; some of which I am posting here. Sophie’s very good friend Chad Owen’s son had, I think the nicest and he wrote a nice letter to Sophie which I am posting with Chad’s OK. Owen also took pictures for me, which I am also posting.
I also produced a slide show of pictures of Sophie – it took a long time because I hadn’t done it before and had to learn to use a new photo scanner but spending hours going over pictures of Sophie also brought a great deal of comfort… but sadness and tears also. The old photos are little windows into the past; I yearned to like in some old Twilight Zone episode, to step through them out of my present reality into that past with Sophie, and live with her again; but only this time with much more passion, understanding, and wisdom. People seemed to like the slideshow and if I can figure out how to do it I will post it here on Facebook and also atsophiebrooksmemorial.blogspot.com.
Link to Album:
https://www.facebook.com/sophie.brooks.503/media_set?set=a.1071185469665893.100003233506404&type=3
