Oh, Holly. Or, as my husband always said "Holly Jolly!" And she was - joyful, fun, smart with a cheeky sense of humor. We met at Cal State University Fullerton - two part-time adjunct professors hired because of our common experience deep in the trenches of journalism. It was lovely to cultivate a great friend relatively later in life, and this friendship lasted more than 20 years. Together we struggled with the foreign lingo of academia (Yes, Google was our friend). Together we volunteered at many CSUF functions and always went to graduations together, ending the days with lunch or dinner at local restaurants. At the last graduation we attended post-COVID, we splurged and had the very $$$ John Dory dish at the Summit House. We deserved it, she insisted, after learning and teaching via ZOOM on the fly.
We also discovered mutual links to Michigan! Holly grew up in the mitten-shaped state, and my parents were born and raised there. We spoke often about the Detroit Zoo, where you could turn a plastic key in a speaker, and hear facts about the animals. We fondly remembered Sanders Candy & Ice Cream Shoppe, with its distinctive red-and-white striped awning. She loved the famous Bumpy Cake. We were very proud to be the only two people we knew who could make pasties - the wonderful meat and vegetable pies famously made in the Upper Peninsula. Holly would spend many Christmas Days with us, and she also came down to our house in the South Bay to make pasties one night. It was so fun, but we both agreed that neither of us had a talent for making dough from scratch. We vowed, that the next time we made pasties, we'd get store-bought dough. That dough is still in my refrigerator, as we'd planned to make pasties again this winter.
Holly and my husband hit it off for their love of the Bay Area - he was raised and worked in the San Francisco area and she worked at the Chronicle. They'd have great conversations about places and restaurants and culture and all things San Francisco when she visited our home.
Somehow, although we both are cat moms, we realized we had a love for sloths (this is no reflection on our work ethic). This resulted in years of back-and-forth sloth gifts, Beany Babies, notepads, pens, stickers, backpacks. Pretty much anything sloth.
Well, Holly, my dear friend, you would be happy to know that your kitties, Maui and Ginger, are doing well in the cat condo that David bought for them, and they are getting veterinary care to make sure they continue to thrive.
Missing you so much, Buddy!
-Anne La Jeunesse
