Linda LaMori - Online Memorial Website

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Linda LaMori
Born in United States
47 years
253248
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Alex Romero

I can't believe its been a year since Linda left us. Even though I only met Linda several times, she always was very giving of her time and energy. My fondest memory of Linda was when Ben and I went out to California for spring break. It was my first time visiting the west coast and I was very excited. Unfortunately, I had an allergic reaction and was sick my first couple of days out there. But rather than let me feel bad about the situation Linda would offer all kinds of assistance and would crack jokes, especially at Ben's expense, to help keep my spirits up. Luckily, I felt better and would really enjoy my first time out in LA. It was really thanks to Linda"s help and guidance that it was such a fun experience.

Linda will always be missed. May god bless her.

 

Love,

 

Alex

Ben Stern

Again, for all of you that expressed your condolences, I thank you.  As time goes by, our memories are all we have of loved ones who have passed. As hard as this memorial site was to generate given the timing, it was my way of honoring Linda.  Anyone that knows Linda can appreciate that she was the picture and video queen. A big part of her life involved taking endless pictures and videos of the family and sharing it with everyone.

 

Linda's dedication and committment to creating memories we could all share,

was a trait I always admired in her.  This was especially thoughtful during the time our Dad passed away back in 1999.  Linda compiled audio tapes and created Calendars utilizing pictures of the family.  What a great gift since the memories of our Dad and our family will always be with us to cherish. I remember how strong she was during this time.  It was an inspiration to me then and now.

 

Being the youngest in the family, I wish I could express how hard it is to lose Linda.  Not only was she my sister, but a mentor as well as a friend.  Linda and I shared so much growing up together in NY.  I am fortunate to say that most of my childhood and teen years in NY were spent with Linda before she moved away to California.  That being said, I wanted to share a few memorable times that affected the rest of my life.

 

Growing up, I followed in Linda's footsteps, first by working in a Department store she used to work for named STERN's Dept. store.  Thankfully, everyone knew and loved Linda so I was in the club. I had a blast working there and it was mostly due to the fact that Linda's bosses and friends still worked there and had a great respect and admiration for her.

 

Shortly after, Linda landed a job in the city with Sandra Carter across the street from Lincoln Center.  I worked as an office assistant and had a great time working with Linda.  We spent so much time together since we would ride the subway home everyday from the city.  We were very close. 

 

In 1985, Linda took me on an all expense paid vacation to Orlando, where I live now.  We had so much fun.  This was my first trip and experience visiting Disney and Epcot.  Obviously the first of hundreds of times Linda would spend at the parks.  I cannot tell you how much of an influence Linda has had on me over the years and for that I am eternally grateful.  The one funny thing that comes to mind was our first ride on Spaceship Earth in Epcot.  We got into the little pod that took us thru the ride. On the way down a steep grade towards the end of the ride,  Linda leaned back and someone had left chewing gum in the pod by her head.  We tried to get out of the car and unfortunately Linda's head would not move.  Her head was stuck to the pod and we spent the rest of the night cutting gum out of her head.  She had a great sense of humor, even back then  We laughed about it for years.

 

That night, we went to a restaurant and had burgers and fries.  Linda went to open a ketchup package and the package exploded and a fine stream shot 8 feet across to the table next to us, landing on a guy's white shirt.  Fortunately he had a sense of humor too.  It was the funniest thing I think I had ever seen, especially coming from Linda.  It was all in good fun.

 

Fast forward twenty years. Despite the physical distance between us, I am so glad that my job afforded me the opportunity to come visit california often.  In the course of the last few years, I can say without regret that I have priceless and precious memories of Linda, and the family. 

 

Since there are so many memories to talk about, I would just like to say that Linda was the sweetest, kindest most beautiful person on the planet.  Her endless dedication to family and friends was evident.  As my brother mentioned in a previous memory, while he was in the hospital just a few short weeks ago having surgery for Colon cancer, Linda focused on helping him by offering information and resources from all of her experiences.  She was extremely knowledgeable and smart as a whip as we all know.  When I talked to her after Marc's surgery and told her that Marc was free of cancer, she cried for joy and was so happy to hear that he was ok.  Her strength was amazing.  She was a fighter and in a pracitcal sense, she taught everyone of us to do our best to stay healthy.  I learned from her illness and will never forget.

 

In the end, I grieve with such a sense of loss.  I am the youngest in the family and didn't get to spend the time that others had with her.  However, I am

thankful for the memories I do have of Linda now and forever.  She will be in my heart for an eternity and I will never forget how special she was to all of us and how much of an impact she had on our lives.  God rest her soul and peace to our family.  I love you Linda and you will be missed beyond what words can say.

MARC STERN
There are so many memories to share here, but I picked out the ones that stood out in my mind first.
 
I have such fond memories of Linda and I going flying after I got my private pilot license. She never had any fear and I know she trusted her big brother to get her home safely every time. She commented that there was an inner peace that occurred anytime we were looking at the world from above.
 
The day Linda got married, I was gleaming with pride. Meeting all her friends and Paul’s family that were there was amazing. I thought to myself, what a great match and that I could only hope to have the same happiness. Then of course in later years her wonderful family that she managed along with a hundred other things.
 
I still hear the words “I never thought he’d do it”. Linda and family travel to Florida for my wedding. Her presence there was my best gift ever. Despite her illness she got to see her big brother happy. Her wonderful video she made for Penny and I still to this day is cherished.
 
My most touching and amazing tribute to my wonderful sister is when I was told I had to have surgery for colon cancer. Imagine her consoling me and sending me vitamins and worrying all the time I was in the hospital .She put me in touch with those people that helped her also.
Always putting someone else’s problems ahead of hers...That was Linda...
 
I know her work is not done...Her presence will always be felt.
 
Love,
 
Marc
 
Ben

Here are some of Linda's professional credentials including Woman Of The World,

among other things.....

 

 

http://tv.yahoo.com/linda-stern/contributor/979355

Lillian Durkel

DISTANCE IS WHAT I FANTASIZED BY Lil Durkel’

 

 

 

In my life, I have written many poems,

for people I love in distant homes

Those rhythms and rhymes ‘bout family

have given me peace, have set me free

They’ve kept me calm, in times of woe

they’ve helped me learn, that love does grow

For being apart does not mean departure

from caring, sharing, that you can be sure

You see, the one’s you love are never too far

they are the brilliant lights, from the furthest stars

So, if for a moment to feel saddened by miles

remember, look to the sky for it’s smiles

Just positively know, that the love you share

Is the love, that you’ll find everywhere

Time cannot erase this energy

it travels farther than the eyes can see

It brings you so close to the loved one’s heart

As though you were there, and never apart

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lillian Durkel

                       MY SISTER AND ME…by Lil Durkel

 

This was written 3 years ago when Linda was ill...................

     It is my 50th birthday today.  I can’t help but take an inventory
of this life, and take a close look at that which truly matters to me.
I must ponder on the beach of my soul, sifting through the sand,
to find answers to questions that haunt the most inner part of me.
I have to look at my regrets, head on, and deal with them accordingly.
I’ve made it this far, for that I am grateful, but this is really not about
me, it’s about my sister.

                                    MY SISTER

     How sweet the sound.  The sound of which, for the
most part of my life, is all I have had. Her voice, an invisible presence,
comforting, but at the same time, a mystery.  I say mystery, because
though we grew up together, I really don’t know her life.  I can not
grasp it, because it’s not directly in front of me.  You see, for so many years,
I was so very caught up in my life, I had been too involved to see what
I really had, she then moved away. As I look back with great sadness,
I see an eternity of lost time together, and am haunted by the
by the wake of my past mindlessness every moment of my life.

                                    A TIME VOID

     Time, something that you cannot buy.  That’s just
a cliché’.  I wish you could buy time, because I would spend every
last penny I had on it.  I could have changed the course of time,
but I didn’t.  I let my fears stand in my way.  The simplest of
situations scared me.  That’s where she and I differ.  Her incredible
fearlessness, and strength.  I can only admire her for the person I
am not.  Her strength doesn’t stop there.  It goes over and beyond
the level of my comprehension.  How could I possibly understand
this anyway, like I said, I am not there to grasp it. 

                             HOW DO YOU FIND A FRIEND?

      I don’t know, I can’t find them, but I know one thing for sure,
my sister has been my best one, and the best part of me!
I remember a time, when she was the only person in the whole
world that cared. She lifted me from the pits of hell, and
carried me to safety.  I wouldn’t be here today, if it wasn’t
for her generosity, kindness, and support.  If I had half of these
attributes, I would be grateful.  Sometimes you don’t see the
wonders of your life because you are looking elsewhere for
the things that may bring you the most happiness.  You try to
fill your cup with personal needs, indulgences, and whatever
else you could think of to feel better, only to find the cup is
empty with lists of lost dreams, wasted wishes, and false fantasies.

                                         SUPPRESSION

     How do we define this.  This can’t be any one’s
answer.  It can only me mine.  There are several different definitions,
that you can be sure of, but mine would be the most intolerable.
It’s like burying your head in the sand.  This might be an inherited
trait, who knows, I am not a therapist, but I have developed this
well, and have it down to a science.  I mention sand a lot, because
suppression is like wading through a quagmire, you just keep sinking
further and further, till the mud becomes something you are used to
living in every day.  You can never truly climb out , because just
when you think you are, you sink back down again.

     I have suppressed the pain of the separation of sisterhood
for so long, I have become virtually numb from head to toe,
in a mud soup.  The ingredients of which, are way, way, too
complicated to put together in a personal decadence recipe.
Each time you taste it, it becomes worse than the first time,
with compounded interest.  All this search for reasoning, doesn’t
give it one sound seal of approval, to suggest that this would be a
great excuse for the act.  But if not for the act, the act of suppression,
than how is one to deal? 

     How does anyone deal with a separation of for the most part
a piece of yourself?  We can only live each day the best we know
how.  That is to exist in a limbo like state, wishing it weren’t so,
and remembering what it was like before the nightmare started.
How can we determine which way is up or down, when it comes
to masking the pain.  You simply just don’t have a choice in
the matter.  It’s either that, or live in a perpetual depressed-like
state, until some other sadness comes along to temporarily
make you forget what you were messed up about in the first place.

 

Now this may sound like a dreary existence, but it’s my choice.

I suppose I could make a better choice, and dance around this,

but I simply can’t dance. I was given lessons on the subject, but I

refuse to take the necessary steps to change this theory.

If it were truly a convoluted theory, though, would that make me a

person of indifference, who spends a life, with little or no feelings

or cares? You see, here in this place of confusing discontent,

awaits a lesson in acceptance.

 

                                      ACCEPTANCE

 

Acceptance is the next stage of this journey. I simply must

accept, in order for me to survive. This is supposed to be the

ultimate cure, right? Every lesson that we’ve learned, suggests

that we are supposed to accept life on life’s terms, so that we

may not be subject matter for a book on mental disorders.

Acceptance can be a double-edged sword in this respect.

Thus, the complexity of following the rules of acceptance, may

have a whole series of it’s own consequences. It may sound like

a good idea to procrastinate this process, but the results may be

a temporary fix.

 

                                     IN CONCLUSION

 

I can go on about these issues, but the reality is, I am

grateful that I have such a great sister, and am so very thankful

that she is my sister, and a big part of my life, though, she

is not at that grasp. I will work on my fears, and will get past

them, but for now, I just want to tell her thanks for everything

and always being there. To let her know this in person, will

be my goal in life, and will make a promise to myself and her to

follow through. I hope she can forgive me and understand,

that all those lost years, I will always regret. Change may not

come easy, but change is a good thing in this respect.

In conclusion, my sister has been my gift, and want her to

know how much she means to me, and how much I will

always love her, but somehow I know that she already knows.

Lillian Durkel

HOW DO YOU SAY GOODBYE

 

 

This is what I wrote then. Little did I know, something far sadder would really evolve. I am now 53, and I am lost for words, for I cannot write, I cannot sleep, I cannot breathe. I lost someone who has been the one most important person in my life. How do I put her life story in words, especially when I hardly knew her. I only have portions of our childhood that I remember, when we were growing up. Those memories, I will cherish forever. It hadn’t been until the last 4 years that we grew even more close, and spent so much time talking and sharing our personal stories.

 

I have to leave off with this, because just writing about this, I experience great pain. It is so hard to say goodbye……I will leave a poem that was written for Dad, because I know she is with him now, and safe.

 

There isn’t a day that goes by

That I don’t think of you and cry

I never wanted to say goodbye

And still I ask myself why…

You had to leave for good this time

I guess there were new mountains you needed to climb

When your ship sailed away into the night

I knew you had traveled into the light

Traveling afar, that was what you always yearned for

Sailing away to each and every shore

But, I still receive your postcards in the mail

To let me know you’ve marked your trail

Someday, some way, I’ll see you again

We’ll sit down and talk about when

Our time together just seem so frail

And that ship too, I will have to sail!

 

I love you, and will miss you so….Linda……..

Love always, your sis

 

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