Several years ago I was standing in a room full of people, only few of whom I knew. From the crowd, a tall, lanky woman with big eyes behind glasses and a irresistible smile walked right up to me with her hand stuck out and said "Hi, my name's Barb." I was in a corner of the dining room at the time, and Barb loomed above me. I couldn't help but smile right back. We started a conversation about nothing and everything. I heard an almost audible "click;" I had just met an extraordinary person.

Over the years, Barb and I had many conversations about nothing and everything, sang a hundred songs badly, and laughed until tears were pouring down our cheeks and our sides hurt. These incredible memories were made with combinations of other intelligent, funny, open, and very REAL people. They took place at friend's houses, around campfires, in sleeping bags, on the phone, in hot tubs, on the beach, tubing down the Salt River, in a teepee, on a hike, and every kind of public and private place. She was a seemingly endless fount of fun and wherever she was, there was laughter. Each adventure was uniquely magical and couldn't be reproduced, but wouldn't be forgotten.

I'd observed Barb on numerous occasions greeting anyone she didn't know the same way she had made me her friend years ago, approaching anyone without hesitation and saying that phrase: "Hi, my name's Barb." If you think about it, that phrase does not demand a response and asks no questions. She simply presented herself and left it up to you. You could just say "Hey," "Nice to meet you," or "Huh," or even turn away. I later found out that she did this because she didn't want to miss out on the possibility of meeting someone wonderful. I'll be forever proud and grateful that I accepted her subtle invitation.

Barb was also a nurse and she was at the top of her field, although she would not be the one to tell you this. She had won awards, professional accolades, and she had positively affected the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in need, both patients and their families. She was the source of nurturing, caring, and skilled assistance to people in extreme situations every day. In short, Barb was personally and professionally the kind of "giver of care" each one of us should strive to be. Oh, and she was also teaching others to strive towards this professional ideal at a university in Tucson. And on a sunny October morning the world suddenly became a much poorer place.

My deepest of sorrow is for Barb's best friend, who was also her husband, partner, and soul mate. I ache for the members her large, quirky and loving family. I cry and wail for her huge group of "buds" and myself, as I was lucky enough to be one of those people. But I also lament for all those people who missed out on meeting a wonderful person, because they will never see this tall, lanky woman with big eyes behind glasses and a irresistible smile walk right up to them with her hand stuck out and say

Doyne Wrealli
Silver City NM