Dear Newkirk Family and Friends,

We are so sad to learn about Helen's condition. Oh, my, the amazing memories we carry of Helen and Bill. Jack and I were a couple of young naive interns who showed up at the Decalceolate Carmelite Monastery at 4th and Rhode Island Ave. DC on January 1, 1971. How could we have been prepared for the likes of Helen Newkirk? She and Bill (and Linda who was attending U of Md) were priors and there was a youth component, including Larry Philbrook. Needless to say, it was a very lively place. Helen was the most irrepressible person I'd ever met. That is putting it mildly. Her question was always: Is it MISSIONAL? Will it get the MISSION accomplished? It was always about the mission. Her very favorite saying was "That's no problem". No matter how large or small the issue, to Helen it was simply "No problem." I remember her telling the story that she and Bill never cancelled an event just because of the weather. You could always figure out a way to have a picnic! Do you remember the hours we spent in the Collegium Room (the large end of the basement) covering those damp and crumbling walls with burlap? Bill apparently had a contact through the Forest Sevice to get us burlap that is usually wrapped around the ball of trees. Days and days were spent stapling the walls with burlap and it worked well enough to keep the moisture out and the walls together. Many Odysseys and area events as well as daily life went on in that room. I think no one realized what hit them when they first encountered this truly spirit-filled woman. She seemed unflappable. We are always grateful that Bill and Helen were selected to stand for the order at our Chris' baptism after he was born that year in DC.

Helen has always continued to be the one with the big smile, the sparkle in her eye, the one full of optimism. Please send our hugs, our prayers and our love to Helen as she makes this Great Transition.

Our love and prayers go to the family as well: Linda, Jim, Patricia, Lisa and David and all the family members.

Louise and Jack Ballard

I have been asked by Patricia to forward this letter from her sister, Linda Knutsen. Helen lives with Linda and Lester in Virginia, (DC area) and is nearing the end of her life. They would love to hear stories from any of you who have lived with Helen and Bill - please send them to ljknutsen@gmail.com. The family will read them to Helen and share with each other. Patricia leaves this afternoon to share these last days with the family. By evening Lisa will also have arrived. Dave and girls are already there and Jim will not be able to come from Serbia but was here last summer. Other extended family are there and arriving.

Attached is a letter Linda sent out earlier this week.

Subject: Update on Mom/Helen - Feb 1, 2013

Reply-To: ljknutsen@gmail.com

Hello everyone,

I am sorry that I haven't kept you all in the loop more frequently on how Mom is doing...it has been a good, but challenging month.

As anticipated, Hospice has been just simply wonderful, and has made this last few weeks so much more manageable than I could have imagined. While Mom continued for most of January to make her way, usually on her own, out into the living room into her recliner to watch her favorite shows, record her life stories, read, or just hang out, her strength steadily declined. Thankfully, we have gotten her pain well under control, and she claims to have little to none. Starting last Saturday for 4 nights she 'traveled' all night long, talking constantly for most of 7 hours (!) with family members and some strangers in all corners of the globe. These episodes were mostly typical, illogical dreams with memories woven in, and were often quite funny! I have many quotes from those nights that I have shared with my siblings, and we have laughed and laughed! My favorites are:

"Oh, this is just terrible...my tacos are FREEZING!" ...and...
"LINDA, JUST TELL ME WHAT THE PLAN IS!" (yes, very loudly!)

We have lots of family help here now to be with her. She has slept well for the past two nights with little dream-talking, and her spirits are excellent. Her humor and her intellect are most definitely intact! But she can no longer bear any weight, and sleeps most of the time. She slept nearly 15 hours yesterday after her 4 days of 'traveling' and even then was still quite tired. But today she was quite responsive and interactive, though for very short periods between naps.

She is ready to 'go home' and quite at peace with the most **amazing** life she has had, and she has SO enjoyed hearing from all of you, her ***MOST*** amazing hoard of much-loved, far-flung, wild and wonderful friends and family.

Many of these I mention are gathering here as I type to wish her yet another blessed journey, and she will definitely be thinking of all of you, near and far. (As I write this I realize that neither she nor I have checked her email for maybe a week or more, so I will do that now and share with her all your loving communications.)

Love and peace,
Linda

Thank you for sharing in this special time in the Newkirk family.In caring community,

Patricia's Housemate in Bothell, WA