Dear Kalpana Mehta

cc:  SF Living Foods and SFVeg,

 

     Your sad message stunned me.  I met Dorleen twice -- once at a joint picnic between the raw food group and SFVS on Independence Day several years ago, when I joined her raw food friends for a spontaneous 2-hour walk through the Presidio; another time when she invited me to join a hike with the raw food folks on Mt. Tam a couple of years ago.  She was outgoing, friendly, with an amazing level of energy and a trim and toned physique in her 60s that any teenager would envy; she appeared to have taken a drink from the Fountain of Youth.  She had brought the healthiest raw snacks to the Mt. Tam hike--jars of neatly-cut organic fruit and veggies, which she offered to share with one and all.  She ascended the mountain so effortlessly, despite the steep climb and the hot sun that day.  We talked about teaching; she had retired, but she was nostalgic about her former work and she told me of many extra-curricular activities she had arranged for her students.  Since she was your close friend, please accept my condolences.  I can't even imagine her being ill, because she was the picture of health during the brief times I spent in her presence.  I'm so sorry to learn she is gone.  She was an extraordinary woman. 

 

       Best wishes,

       Bonnie Knight, San Francisco

       Member, San Francisco Vegetarian Society

 

In a message dated 1/25/2013 9:53:01 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, Shonumehta@... writes:

Hi Everyone,
My heart is heavy with grief and sadness while I write this that Dorleen passed away yesterday after a brave
battle with cancer. Family wants to keep her cremation a private affair. Our SFLife group whom Dorleen gave so much of her
time and energy,has decided to have a little get to gether to share our memories of her over pot luck. We will be meeting on
Feb.4th at bertie lane where we have been having our pot lucks(it is betweel Geary and Laguna in SF.
We will meet from 12-2pm and go for a hike later in her memory. Please join us,especially those who knew her well.
She was one of my best friends as I assisted her in our Pot Lucks for over five years.
For further questions about this event, call Janie Wong at 415-285-7268 who is a facilitator for pot lucks now.
 
Kalpana Mehta

 

Dear Living Foods Community:

I was shocked and saddened to hear about Dorleen's passing. Given personal chaos
and flux in my life these past few years, I was unable to stay current with
Dorleen's situation. Her passing, to the community, is palpable.

I wanted to share my memories of her here, in the form of this "open letter" to
the community.

_______________________________________

For Dorleen's Memorial


Dorleen had been a part of my life for almost 25 years, as we met in the first
Living Foods group back in 1985. In 1986, she was part of the core group, which
became SF LiFE. From the first, she was enthusiastic, committed, and above all
giving of her time and energy, and mentored all of the "newbies" who came to the
group to learn. Dorleen had always acknowledged my Ann Wigmore skills in Living
Foods, and propagated a following for me when I did my demos for the group. She
was a one-person PR machine for me, and for those who knew how to teach and pass
on Ann Wigmore's philosophy and practice, which was so unique in the Living
Foods community, and I always thanked her for her intrinsic belief in the
program.

Dorleen was a leader, not just in her classrooms, teaching ESL, but in group
inclusion; she always made people welcome; always inviting people on walks,
hikes, field trips to Yosemite, and seaweed excursions. I always saw her as the
Maria Von Trapp character, who was always smiling, always positive, always
helpful, always insightful, full of vigor, energy, and capable of giving 110% of
her energy with whatever she endeavored to accomplish.

Her travels even made me envious, even though I've been a world traveler. She
did it her way, and with that, sparked new-found excitement in me. After her
trips, and her sharing of stories, and photos, I too wanted to get on the next
plane and discover Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland. She did Mexico, and
Canada, and the "States" in a way that no one could ever call boring. How many
times did she drive cross-country? How many times did she hike Mt. Tam?
Hundreds, and yet never repeating any of her journeys the same way. Each and
every day was a new day for Dorleen, and she approached each task, and each
recipe and each Tai-Chi pose as if she was discovering it for the first time.

Her sharing personality made every moment full of sparkle and shine. She was
always smiling and positive. I always wondered if hurt and flux, and chaos
entered her life. I wondered if she let those moments in, or whether they were
covered and cast in the brilliant light of positive change. Dorleen was
adaptable, which made her recipes sing with exuberance. She would change them at
will, adding and subtracting to catch every nuance of the season.

I loved her because she was unique in the way she gave of herself. Each and
every time we talked, she devoted all of her energy in listening to me: really
hearing what I had to say. I never saw her dismiss anyone from their sharing.
When asked for information, she always had it: telephone numbers, addresses,
files of past names and numbers were always at hand. She collected data long
before computers were popular, and she always knew where everything was. Her
file cabinets were full; her organizational skills were paramount. I remember
several enormous projects we worked on together: the SF LiFE library list, and
the recipe books we gathered together. I remember the Living Foods "conference"
she spear-headed back in the 90s.

She was the leader with the group, and the group would not have survived without
her energy, and perseverance. New people came and went, and she stayed and
stayed. Over the years, she gave of herself when others wouldn't pick up the
slack, and she never complained. Acknowledging her contribution to the group,
would take pages, but what is left, what we as a group will never forget is her
unfailing attention to the concept of giving. Not business nor money-making
ideas or plans, she believed in giving, and giving freely. That is what I
remember and will retain always.

Dorleen was a giving person, and what she gave each of us in turn is the notion
of brilliant acceptance of life, on life's terms, without judgment and without
hesitation.

Thank you Dorleen, for teaching and being strength and love.

Thank you for being LOVE.

Robin

Fall In Love... with Chocolate.
Come out this Sunday February 10th and enjoy... A Chocolate Love Affair..

The RAW Vegan Chocolate celebration of the year! Check out our updated highlights below.

You have never experience a chocolate immersion like this before...  with Valentine Chocolate Treats prepared LIVE by Celebrity Chocolatiers.    "Chocolate Girl" Vanessa Barg, "Sacred Steve" SacredSteve, "Edible Goddess" Bethanne Wanamaker.   (Vanessa is actually flying in from NYC just to be with us!)

Gourmet Dinner by our beloved "RAW DADDY" James Hall.

Aphrodisiac Alter with Chocolate Fountain

Chocolate Ceremony with liquid and solid chocolate tastings hosted by two amazing chocolatiers "CacoaYogi" NaThaniel Sol Xocolstein, "Ostara" Annika Mongan..

Fabulous Valentine Gift Faire with specials by local Artisans including * Lydias Lovin' Foods, Raw Daddy, CocaoYogi, Sacred Chocolate, Gnosis Chocolate, Edible Goddess, Ostara Foods, Longevity Power, and more...

Advance purchase General Admission Tickets are available for as low as $5.   Delicious Deluxe All Access Pass for the low price of $20 advance purchase..

I really hope you make it out to experience this delicious community celebration...  

If money is a concern please let me know.  I have a few work trade opportunities open also.

  I hope to see all your beautiful faces this Sunday afternoon .

Purchase your TIX HERE:  http://achocolateloveaffair.eventbrite.com/

Jillian Love

Hi all,

Thanks to everyone for coming to the SFLife Potluck Memorial held in Dorleen's
honor.  It was great to meet up and see some old-timers from the group!

The hike afterwards at Land's End was a perfect way to end the day - the weather
was beautiful and we finished right before sunset.

May everyone have a great day and a healthy, prosperous New Year (it's the Year
of the Snake for the Chinese/Lunar New Year!).

Best to everyone,

Sharon

1.  Pictures from the Memorial Potluck for Dorleen, Feb 3, 2013, Japantown.

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=101a860eb17bf9dc&sid\
=0Bas2zlsxZNXSg

2.  YouTube video link -  John interviewing Dorleen at Mt. Diablo where we did a
group hike in 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZOEtY2bMAI

--- In SFLivingFoods@yahoogroups.com, "cockatoo77777"  wrote:
>
> Dear Living Foods Community:
>
> I was shocked and saddened to hear about Dorleen's passing. Given personal
chaos and flux in my life these past few years, I was unable to stay current
with Dorleen's situation. Her passing, to the community, is palpable.
>
> I wanted to share my memories of her here, in the form of this "open letter"
to the community.
>
> _______________________________________
>
> For Dorleen's Memorial
>
>
> Dorleen had been a part of my life for almost 25 years, as we met in the first
Living Foods group back in 1985. In 1986, she was part of the core group, which
became SF LiFE. From the first, she was enthusiastic, committed, and above all
giving of her time and energy, and mentored all of the "newbies" who came to the
group to learn. Dorleen had always acknowledged my Ann Wigmore skills in Living
Foods, and propagated a following for me when I did my demos for the group. She
was a one-person PR machine for me, and for those who knew how to teach and pass
on Ann Wigmore's philosophy and practice, which was so unique in the Living
Foods community, and I always thanked her for her intrinsic belief in the
program.
>
> Dorleen was a leader, not just in her classrooms, teaching ESL, but in group
inclusion; she always made people welcome; always inviting people on walks,
hikes, field trips to Yosemite, and seaweed excursions. I always saw her as the
Maria Von Trapp character, who was always smiling, always positive, always
helpful, always insightful, full of vigor, energy, and capable of giving 110% of
her energy with whatever she endeavored to accomplish.
>
> Her travels even made me envious, even though I've been a world traveler. She
did it her way, and with that, sparked new-found excitement in me. After her
trips, and her sharing of stories, and photos, I too wanted to get on the next
plane and discover Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland. She did Mexico, and
Canada, and the "States" in a way that no one could ever call boring. How many
times did she drive cross-country? How many times did she hike Mt. Tam?
Hundreds, and yet never repeating any of her journeys the same way. Each and
every day was a new day for Dorleen, and she approached each task, and each
recipe and each Tai-Chi pose as if she was discovering it for the first time.
>
> Her sharing personality made every moment full of sparkle and shine. She was
always smiling and positive. I always wondered if hurt and flux, and chaos
entered her life. I wondered if she let those moments in, or whether they were
covered and cast in the brilliant light of positive change. Dorleen was
adaptable, which made her recipes sing with exuberance. She would change them at
will, adding and subtracting to catch every nuance of the season.
>
> I loved her because she was unique in the way she gave of herself. Each and
every time we talked, she devoted all of her energy in listening to me: really
hearing what I had to say. I never saw her dismiss anyone from their sharing.
When asked for information, she always had it: telephone numbers, addresses,
files of past names and numbers were always at hand. She collected data long
before computers were popular, and she always knew where everything was. Her
file cabinets were full; her organizational skills were paramount. I remember
several enormous projects we worked on together: the SF LiFE library list, and
the recipe books we gathered together. I remember the Living Foods "conference"
she spear-headed back in the 90s.
>
> She was the leader with the group, and the group would not have survived
without her energy, and perseverance. New people came and went, and she stayed
and stayed. Over the years, she gave of herself when others wouldn't pick up the
slack, and she never complained. Acknowledging her contribution to the group,
would take pages, but what is left, what we as a group will never forget is her
unfailing attention to the concept of giving. Not business nor money-making
ideas or plans, she believed in giving, and giving freely. That is what I
remember and will retain always.
>
> Dorleen was a giving person, and what she gave each of us in turn is the
notion of brilliant acceptance of life, on life's terms, without judgment and
without hesitation.
>
> Thank you Dorleen, for teaching and being strength and love.
>
> Thank you for being LOVE.
>
> Robin
>