I said goodbye to my oldest friend this week.
I met Sonia Martin when I was 11 years old and a 7th grader at Kepner Junior High School in Denver. Sonia, (or Mrs. Martin as I called her for much of my life) discovered I had an interest in language and she invited me to join her semantics class and the school's spelling team. "Semantics" was the name of the English class that prepared us for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"Words of the Champions" was our bible as we pored over thousands of words, their derivation, etymology, pronunciation, and usage. But we didn't just study - we had fun too! One of my favorite memories is when Sonia took us to the zoo to spell the animals. Think about it -- besides rhinoceros, you have oryx, kudu, meerkat, lemur, etc.
Speaking of animals, Sonia was always more of an animal-person than a people-person. Her large property north of Denver was home to horses, dogs, a donkey, a goat, a pig, not to mention owls, hawks, coyotes, prairie dogs (not welcome), and dozens of other species of critters that fly, run, or slither.
Here is a picture of Sonia with her purebred Arabian stallion Lindy. Lindy was quite docile, though, and Sonia taught me to ride using English saddle and bridle.
Sonia never had children of her own, and as the years went by I became almost a surrogate daughter for her. She proudly followed my studies and my travels and later became the biggest fan of my writing and photography - skills which I discovered and enjoyed while writing this blog. She was also my harshest critic, and would let me know instantly if I made a spelling or grammatical error on these pages.
Sonia passed away in May, 2018 at an assisted living facility not far from her long time home in Broomfield. That home, which I visited often beginning in 1963, was razed last week. We then decided that she would be happy if her ashes were buried on the land she loved so much. So, on her birthday, I bid her adieu in her final resting place.
I met Sonia Martin when I was 11 years old and a 7th grader at Kepner Junior High School in Denver. Sonia, (or Mrs. Martin as I called her for much of my life) discovered I had an interest in language and she invited me to join her semantics class and the school's spelling team. "Semantics" was the name of the English class that prepared us for the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
"Words of the Champions" was our bible as we pored over thousands of words, their derivation, etymology, pronunciation, and usage. But we didn't just study - we had fun too! One of my favorite memories is when Sonia took us to the zoo to spell the animals. Think about it -- besides rhinoceros, you have oryx, kudu, meerkat, lemur, etc.
Speaking of animals, Sonia was always more of an animal-person than a people-person. Her large property north of Denver was home to horses, dogs, a donkey, a goat, a pig, not to mention owls, hawks, coyotes, prairie dogs (not welcome), and dozens of other species of critters that fly, run, or slither.
Here is a picture of Sonia with her purebred Arabian stallion Lindy. Lindy was quite docile, though, and Sonia taught me to ride using English saddle and bridle.
We always had a very special relationship and remained friends long after I graduated from high school. In fact, I did my student teaching at the high school I had attended as a student and where Sonia now taught. She taught me how to play bridge and I felt so special sitting in the teacher's lounge with my former English and French teachers.
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| We enjoyed many a lunch and glass of red wine together! |
Sonia never had children of her own, and as the years went by I became almost a surrogate daughter for her. She proudly followed my studies and my travels and later became the biggest fan of my writing and photography - skills which I discovered and enjoyed while writing this blog. She was also my harshest critic, and would let me know instantly if I made a spelling or grammatical error on these pages.
Sonia passed away in May, 2018 at an assisted living facility not far from her long time home in Broomfield. That home, which I visited often beginning in 1963, was razed last week. We then decided that she would be happy if her ashes were buried on the land she loved so much. So, on her birthday, I bid her adieu in her final resting place.
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| Bulldozer tracks where her house once stood |
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| Flowers mark the final resting spot for her ashes |
What a beautiful tribute!
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