Introducing What We Remember, our new reader-submitted obituary series. Each week we’re highlighting everyday but extraordinary people and the legacies they’ve left behind, all in 150 words or less. Submit your story for next Sunday’s installment here.
Steve Arndt, 77
Steve of the Front Row
We called him the ambassador of the Portland writing community, because he was all about stories and connection. He introduced me to at least three friends I probably wouldn’t otherwise have known. He did that for dozens of others, too. A man of letters and a man of the river, Steve could talk for hours about both. How a particular turn of phrase made the whole scene in a novel, and how the glint of a fishing fly, tied just right, on the surface of the Columbia made his whole day. He was a count-on-me fixture at author events, always there to celebrate someone else’s success. Steve of the “you need to meet so-and-so” suggestion. Steve of the overly extravagant yet quite sincere compliment. Steve of the dissection and perfection of his own beautiful words. To us, he will always be Steve of the Front Row.
Stephen Emil Arndt was a river guide, writer and muse. He died Feb. 5 in Portland, Oregon. — By his friend Nancy Townsley
Amadia “Mimi” Spallino, 88
Crawfish étouffée
Mimi invited strangers in for crawfish étouffée, cared for dozens of stray cats, served as a surrogate mother to any searching child, and loved me through my childhood quirks and teenage angsts. Even after dementia reigned, she’d clasp my hand, look me in the eyes and say, “I love you, my little Olivia.” Love was the one thing Mimi never forgot. She often spoke of her love for her own grandmother. Mimi recalled how, as a young woman, she had an intuitive feeling and rushed to her grandmother. Upon seeing Mimi, her grandmother died. Mimi said, “She wanted to die with her granddaughter beside her.” When I got the same inkling 65 years later, I drove straight to Mimi’s house, crawled into bed and held onto Mimi as she stopped breathing. She showed me the power of love between a grandmother and granddaughter.
Amadia Cecile Hanks Spallino was a devoted mother and grandmother. She died April 25 in Crowley, Louisiana. — By her granddaughter Olivia Spallino Savoie
Jerry Giantonio, 82
Long-distance on Sundays
Most of my life, I was 3,000 miles away from my dad. That made every moment, every letter, every call (always on Sundays, when long-distance calls were affordable!) so much more precious. My father taught me the importance of being kind — he smiled at everyone, always easily recognizable as he walked each morning in his tie-dye shirt. He taught me to be handy and self-sufficient. He calmed my anxieties and assured me I was strong and capable. He never did teach me to appreciate red wine, though. As I sat holding his hand at the end, I reminded him of the times he drove me to the airport, always holding my hand as if he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I felt the same at his bedside.
Gerald Wood Giantonio was a psychologist, wine lover and Notre Dame fan. He died June 11 in Greensboro, North Carolina. — By his daughter Kathi Saunders
Juliet Castillo, 2
Thirteen kittens
Juliet brought joy to everyone with her kind heart, curious spirit and spunky personality. She loved dressing as Snow White, singing, dancing, painting and making us all laugh with her famous “troll face.” Under her mama’s guidance, she developed an interest in birds, plants and art. With her daddy, she loved going to the zoo, riding on his shoulders to watch the giraffes and filling every day with endless singing and dancing parties. She shared adventures with her little sister; adored her cats, Millie and Chestnut; and doted on the farm kittens, all 13 of them, telling each of them “I love you” by name. Her time was far too short. But her laughter, imagination and love left a mark on everyone blessed to know her.
Juliet Elaine Castillo loved to paint watercolors and recite Mother Goose rhymes. She died March 18 in Iowa City. — By her father, Andrew Castillo
Grieving a loved one? Tell us what made them special.
The Post is publishing short reader-submitted obituaries as part of a new feature, What We Remember.
The first installment included a poetry-loving lawyer and a mom who had all the time in the world.
The post The 2-year-old who doted on her 13 kittens, and other extraordinary lives we’ve lost appeared first on Washington Post.
