Randi was always trying to guess who was walking down the hall by our office by the sound of their footsteps. If she was wrong she would say "Aww Shooty!" and if she was right she would say "Hotdog!” If I ever needed a pen I would scan Randi's desk. She had more pens of every color, shape and style than anyone I know. Her desk was always in order and her calendar was kept meticulous with her typewriter-like handwriting. It took her forever to get ready to leave work. In the winter she had to wrap up from head to toe in scarf, mittens and double zip winter coat, then she had to assemble three different bags full of paperwork. We loved to go check out the gift shop and see what was new or on sale. Her patients loved her and her coworkers respected her work ethic. She was a great therapist and friend.
Heidi MacLeod
Co-Worker
Dear Randi,
We never got to say good-bye...............
So many fond memories of you come back, but we didn't know we would need them so soon.
Because you and Lara were friends and roommates in Bloomsburg for 4 years, we came to love and care about you. We were also proud of all your accomplishments and for your successful career after you graduated from the Masters program in speech therapy.
We can recall the trips to Bloomsburg, especially on parents' week-end. The band would perform and we even got to watch you practice. We loved watching Lara with her flute and you as drum major. Used to watch your Mom's face as she smiled with all that pride----we understood that.
I can remember the Christmas I looked everywhere for just the right Winnie-the-Pooh for Lara to give you or the ballet slippers I found for you to hang on your Christmas tree.
I can still see you sitting on the small love seat in the apartment all curled up watching David Letterman.
All the hard work, all the hours of study; what will endure will be the friendship and love you and Lara had. The bond and connection we have with your Mom will always be there.
We will remember. We will miss your presence and the "what could have been" and we will never say good-bye.............................
Just Us,
Dennis and Leslie Bowen
(Lara's parents)
Dear Randi,
Reflecting on a special memory of you, I find many memories that come rushing back like waters released from flood gates. The smallest detail of your very being I am able to recall. Perhaps, because you were my college roommate, I was afforded a unique opportunity to share in your accomplishments, struggles and day to day life as we both worked to achieve our goals over the years.
Away from home you became my family. I remember nights when we would look at pictures- -we both loved to share in the memories of what pictures would capture. This is where I learned of how you missed your Grandfather and moments spent with your mother, whom you called your best friend. We would listen to your favorites-- Aerosmith and Enya, eat oranges and watch David Letterman. I can still see you eating hard pretzels with the cheese you could squeeze from a can.
You always wanted me to paint your finger nails and file them "square, not round." You decorated your closet door with Ansel Adams photographs; you loved Whinnie the Pooh and laughed when we would watch Forrest Gump. I miss playing the flute with you or guided by your direction as drum major.
We acted and argued like sisters. I can still hear the noise your glasses would make when you put them on your face or the way you would say your dogs name or declare it was time for bedsies. I can still see your stuffed donkey sitting on your bed and how you would protect it during pillow fights. You were my study partner, my classmate and most of all you were my friend.
I admired your commitment to your education--you studied unrelentingly. My memories of you are too many to put on paper. Perhaps some of them are meant to remain unspoken as they were created especially for us. Since your passing there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of you or how you came to touch my life. I am forever changed and blessed to have been given the
opportunity to know you. I am grateful for the memories and the pictures and our time spent together. My friend, you are greatly missed and not forgotten.
Perhaps the greatest gift you gave me is the memory of you.
Love,
Lara
We [my husband and I] discussed our memories of Randi and both agreed that the one thing that we remembered was that everytime we saw Randi she had a smile on her face. You never knew if she was smiling because she was spending time with her mom, because she was happy to see you or if she was just happy....No matter what the reason for the smile it was always nice to see her.
The other thing that I remember was that as a mother of an only child (17 year old daughter) I remember that when I would see Randi and Nancy together I was so impressed at the relationship they had that I was hopeful that my daughter and I would develop the same relationship. Randi was such a fortunate young lady to have a strong nurturing mother to guide her through her life. Randi was such a delightful, thoughtful caring person who was hardworking and always thinking ahead. Not only has Nancy lost a daughter and her best friend but so many other people have lost the opportunity to meet this extraordinary young lady.
The Box Family
I have been lucky enough to have known Randi and her family for close to 14 years. Randi and I met in high school. We became close friends, racked up countless phone minutes, kept in touch throughout college, vacationed together, supported each other though difficult times, and helped plan each others weddings. We laughed, cried, and laughed some more… one thing we always did…was have fun.
Helping to plan this memorial service was hard for me. There were times I was glad I had such an influential role in the service and other times when I wished I could just be a participant and not have to deal with the emotional rollercoaster that was destined to come. Now, standing here today, I am glad I had such an important role in this service – Randi was my friend for 14 years, she always supported me, worried about me, and stood by me whatever my decisions were, whether she agreed with them or not. There are not many people I can say that about.
In helping to plan this service, there were times when I came home in the evening and read through all the RSVPs and letters and was glad I was the one receiving them, because it gave me the chance to remember Randi and realize that she not only touched my life through the years, but the lives of so many others through her own relationship with them, her relationship with her mother, and her hard work and dedication to her profession.
I am lucky to have had the chance to have known such a beautiful woman who has brought so much happiness and inspiration to all of us and everything that she encountered. Reading through all the letters, there was one common theme, Randi’s smile, her laugh, her love for life. I only hope that through our memories of Randi and how she touched our lives that we realize the effect our words and our actions have on people.
I would like to leave us all today with one last thought. A line from one of the letters that I received from a dear college friend of Randi’s, struck me.
“Perhaps the greatest gift you gave me is the memory of you.”
I thank you all for your presence today, your contributions to this service, and your continued friendship to Randi’s family and her memories.
Thank You.
[Gabriella Bradley]
