In Memory of Pootie

[Lily H]

Hello cryptogram solvers,

It is with great sadness that I write to let you know that our dear friend, Donna, known on the site as Pootie, passed away peacefully after a long and valiant fight against cancer. Those of you who have been long time members of the site will remember her for her wonderful sense of humor and the fun games that she created for us in the forum. She was always there to help whenever one of us got stuck on a quote and was usually one of the first members to welcome new players to the site. Those of you who were not fortunate enough to have known her will no doubt have seen her many witty comments on the quotes and some of her numerous posts in the forum. When she first became ill, she asked me to include one of her favorite poems in the memoriam that she knew that I would write, so I have copied the text here for you.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Dear Donna, you were taken away from us much too soon. Your pain and suffering have ended, and now you must journey on without us. We said our tearful good-byes a long time ago, and I will miss you. You will always hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget how much your friendship meant to me. May you have eternal peace. Love you lots, Lilybug

[gryhnd51]

Lily,

That is a truly beautiful tribute to Donna....our "Pootie"... whose comments and great advice still live on here in Cryptogram-land, and will be of value to those who didn't have the opportunity to chat with her while she was still able to do so. She watched the "chat" until her vision was so limited that it was impossible for her to continue.

I know I'm not the only one who will miss her wit, charm, knowledge and great sense of adventure! She initiated some wonderfully fun games and a few fantastical story-lines that many of us had so much fun adding to...it makes me smile to remember them!!

She was always the first to welcome all new members, and loved to give them plenty of encouragement. She also made it a point to say "happy birthday" on everyone's special day.

[bansaisequoia]

Pootsie Wootsie

That girl thought I was always a thorn in her side, but I loved her like a big sister.
She kicked me in the balls at a time when I was down, but she reconciled with
me. If I ever had a bad thing to say about her, it was only because I felt extreme
depression. Donna never realized that I was a manic depressive schizoid. I hope
she will forgive me, that I needed to take Zoloft and Xanax to cope with everything.
I hope all you cryptogrammers can forgive me.

[gryhnd51]

Oh Joseph, Donna would have been the first one to laugh and clap you on the butt like you WERE her little brother!!! She had such an IMMENSE response to our shared "human condition"... if anyone knew we all had faults, it was "Pootie"....but she still held people in her heart. A good lesson for all of us to remember.

[wvwoman]

wow.

i'm so sorry for your loss, lily h, and all of you who were her friends. i was just getting acquainted with her recently, so it seems rather shocking that she's gone.
and bansai, some of us are in similar "boats", so don't worry (smile). we should all be patient with each other.

[imported_Lurker]

Even before she was ill, Pootie was never afraid to speak her mind. That may have alienated many players, while at the same time making them jealous of her frankness. She knew that life is too short not to be yourself, since you are the one you have to live with. Her insight will be missed.

[WineChick]

I'm sorry to hear of this. After joining, I started to go back and reread other posts in other topics. In reading some of these, she reminded me of a dear friend on another (now defunct) discussion board. Many of Pootie's comments sounded like something my friend would have said.

The best tribute we can have is to continue to "hug" each other when needed and to "kick your keister" when needed.

And, bansaisequoia, personally I don't see the need for you to apologize for anything...you were sick, you're receiving treatment, and as long as you keep receiving treatment, all's well. (My husband is bipolar, Mom has depression/anxiety, so I fully understand!)

Love to all.

[opallady]

Most of us long-time players knew this day was coming, but it is still unbelievably sad. I remember several years ago telling her to put on her big girl panties and call the dentist after she mentioned having a very bad toothache in the chat room. As it turned out, that was just about the least of her problems. I was amazed that she lasted as long as she did and was at least able to make the occasional chat room appearance for as long as she did. Rest in Peace, Pootie. And thank you, LilyH, for letting us know.

[iltquilt]

Farewell Pootie

I knew one day I would log on to see this sad news and I dreaded it. Pootie, you are missed. Lily, peace be with you. Bansai, never apologize for who you are -- we all have our challenges and most of us cannot know the true suffering of our friends. To all my friends on the site, stay well and happy.

Vicki

[momof7]

Pootie will be missed

Pootie was indeed the first to welcome me on this site.
She was a lot of fun to chat with and her pm's were always worth reading.
She had a way of interacting with everybody and I always looked forward to seeing her posts.

[WidowMaker]

forever in sadness

Frankie,
my heart is saddened by the news of your passing, we both knew that this day was coming, but i was hoping for a little more time. you were the first to welcome me to this site, we traded pm's and e-mails for a couple of years and today i am happy i kept the voice e-mails you sent me, they are now priceless to me and if it is okay with you i would like to forward them to your big sister Lily H. i am sure she would like to hear them just as much as i do, your laugh is so contagious that i never get tired of listening to them, i am only sorry i never sent you one. till we meet again and compete face to face, i am forever in sadness, forever in darkness, forever your johnny, - jose


Dios te salve María, llena eres de gracia.
Nuestro Señor es contigo.
Bendita tú eres entre las mujeres,
y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre,
Jesús.
Santa María, Madre de Dios,
ruega por nosotros pecadores,
ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Amén.

[thresa]

my tribute to Pootie

I, too, am saddened to have to say good-bye to our friend, Pootie aka Donna. She was the first one ever to respond to my plea for help when I was new to the website. In July of 2012, I was improving my skills and was able to stay right behind Pootie in the "success rate" monthly challenge. She hit the 2000th solve (100% accuracy) on July 24, and I was in the high 1900's, staying in the shadow of my role model. In the chat room, there had been some mention of her not feeling well, and then suddenly she stopped adding to her points. She stopped at 2000. Since there was still a week left in the month, I would have surpassed her score had I simply kept playing, but I stopped at 1999. There was something much more important than competition here, and it was the spirit of cooperation that Pootie herself had always shown. I felt honored simply to come in next to her, and I treasure her response to the message I sent her.

[Barnabas]

“I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts
for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad
shout;
"Here she comes!"
- Henry Van Dyke

I didn't know Pootie all that well, but certainly recognize her as a highly respected friend to this site. My sympathies to her family and all of her dear friends. - Chad

[wvwoman]

what a lovely poem, barnabas--i hadn't heard it before, but will certainly save it.
isn't it awesome to see how many of us she touched so positively, in just this one area of her life?
lily h, can you share these with her sister? family members often have no idea about things like this, and would probably enjoy knowing about another group who thought so much of donna.

[abra]

I never noticed this yesterday, I'm so sorry.

I am so very sorry to read that Donna is gone, but I'm happy that she isn't suffering anymore. To Lily and all of those of you who were close friends I'm very sorry for your loss.
She was a very special person. A long time ago, I told her she was my hero, and she truly was. She had was so brave, and handled her illness so well.