Eulogy by Harleigh’s Cousin Janet

Because I am not able to be with you today, I have asked that one of the others in attendance read these thoughts of mine about my cousin Harleigh, one of the most interesting people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. I estimate that we have been “pen pals” for about 30 years or longer, but our first face to face meeting was maybe 16 years ago when I was visiting a friend in Los Angles, and we drove up to Morro Bay and had lunch with Harleigh.

I was prepared for our meeting because of our correspondences. Receiving the Christmas letters always gave me many laughs, but they also showed how many organizations she belonged to, the hobbies she enjoyed, and the constant expanding her knowledge of so many varied subject areas. She never quit learning.

I understand that most of you had the good fortune to be on the Christmas letter list. Did she also send you newspaper clippings concerning subjects she knew interested you?

I regularly received articles from the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times in large envelopes, with extra postage paid, and Scotch Tape sealing them as if they were straight from the Pentagon. There was no way one could use a letter opener, as you could not even get the tip of opener beyond the tape. I always had to cut the ends of the envelopes completely off. The topics sent to me were Jane Austen, Harper Lee, and anything about the Civil War. (Or, as we called it The War Between the States.)

Although I love dogs, birds, some cats, I can’t imagine tolerating having a resident skunk. To take a phrase from Robert Browning and twist it a bit, I think perhaps Harleigh with her sympathy for wild animals “…. Had a heart too soon made glad.”

May she rest in peace.

Thanks to all who are in attendance and those who have helped with the planning.