Write your own Eulogy - Assignment 1.7 - If You Were to Die Years from Now in Recovery

 

To be read by my sister:

Award winning actress Nikki Roberts, 92, passed away in Tibet on June 20^th after completing a lifelong dream to climb to Everest Base Camp. 

Nikki spent a lifetime fulfilling her love of travel - visiting or living in at least 50 countries on all seven continents.  She retired 2 years ago having boasted multiple careers throughout her life including cybersecurity warrior, Security instructor, and television actress – most commonly known for her role as the crazy aunt Ginny on the long running series, “Divorced Dads”, for which she received three Emmy nominations.  I once asked her if she was upset about not winning and her response was, “I played the crazy aunt – you can hardly call that acting when you’re just being yourself.”  Touché.

Some of her greatest achievements (in her mind) were participating in the Miss Utah pageant after someone told her she’d never be a beauty queen, spending a summer in New Zealand backpacking and working on local farms to pay for her trip, fighting cancer in a third world country in the middle of a global pandemic, and being awarded two college degrees without graduating from high school.  She wanted her friends to know that she felt like the luckiest woman on the planet – having cultivated so many amazing lifelong bonds of love with truly remarkable people.  She loved you whole heartedly, but you know that already.

She is survived by the true loves of her life, her nieces and nephews, and the seventeen “honorary” grandchildren that she spoiled constantly – and often rebelliously as she’d take them to Monster Truck rallies, swimming with Manatees, or simply to the park as they all dressed as pirates and drove away the other children from the tower unless they agreed to join their pirate crew.  She LOVED dressing up for any occasion whatsoever – her favorite being, “It’s Tuesday.  I’m gonna wear the SILVER tiara.”  (As if everyone who dined at Dennys were wearing tiaras) Yes, you’re all laughing because you know it’s true.  She was definitely “extra” at one point owning 17 dogs at the same time, all of which slept in the bed with her.  She rescued over 100 dogs during her lifetime – and left a generous legacy to several animal shelters in her will, as well as ensuring that all her grandbabies had the means to attend college.

Nikki struggled with addiction in her 40’s, but overcame her dependence to become an advocate for affordable and available mental health services for everyone.  She believed strongly in Universal Health Care and would often be seen at rallies and marches  campaigning for change.

In lieu of burial, Nikki will be cremated and encourages all of her friends to take a portion of her remains and deposit them somewhere new and exciting that she would have loved to visit.  And please post it on her web page – because, you KNOW how she loved those views and responses!

There are so many crazy stories of her humor, her resilience, and her quirky nature – she would want us laughing and remembering, so I invite you to each come forward and share one of your stories – and make them good!  As Nikki would say, “It doesn’t count if you don’t do the voices, too.”