A Great Loss

The news that long-time Pt. Roberts' resident Davea Fisher had suffered a massive stroke and was not expected to recover was followed by the news that life-support measures would be terminated this weekend by which time her children would all be able to reach the hospital.

Davea was an amazing force for good here in Point Roberts and will surely be missed.  I don't know how many people have said to me since I started helping to raise funds for the new library, "Have you talked to Davea?  She's raised more money over the years here than anybody."  And indeed she probably has.

She was probably best known for her work with "Dollars for Scholars," an engaging program that starts with the premise that the Community of Point Roberts ought to make a statement to its kids when they graduated from high school and made the decision to go on to college.  And the statement Davea was helping all of us to make through this fundraising was "We support you in this decision and we are happy to be able to give you some money to start you out on that journey."  A program like that?  Well, that's what it means to live in a community, as opposed to living in a zip code.

But Davea did not limit herself to that program.  When we were getting the library fundraising beginning, she was there to propose that she organize her annual 'Joke-Telling Contest' for the benefit of the new library.  And she had other ideas.  Only two weeks ago, I was writing her about her proposal to do a "Tall-Tales Night" for the library fund in January.  And barely 3 or 4 days ago, she was proposing to us a project called "Taking the Toonies out for a Walk" which would somehow produce a line of toonies between the current library and the Julius Firehall.  She commented that this was something she liked because kids could participate at that level.

We wrote back to her with enthusiasm, asking questions about how exactly it would work.  Unfortunately, her reply never came.  But I think we will figure out what it was she had in mind, and one day soon, there will be a "Taking the Toonies for a Walk" event, not only to benefit the library but to say a heartfelt 'thank you' to Davea for all she did, and for the example she set for all of us as we, in our turn, try to make sure that we live in a community that cares about its members and not just in a zip code named Point Roberts.