Carolyne Tribute

Dear Friends,

I met Cullette when she came to work for Hoffman Construction around 1990. We became fast friends and soon we were inviting her for dinners and outings with our family. She loved Kevin and Alex, my two children, who were very young at that time. She would bring little gifts to them whenever she would come over. Alex was about 3 and as soon as he saw her at the front door, he would ask her “Cullette, what did you bring me?” She would laugh and always had something for him. It became an inside chuckle to ask her “What did you bring me?”

We had very different personalities. Cullette had a very strong faith. I’m more of a free spirit. She liked to read historical books. I like to read murder mysteries. She liked movies that had a message directed toward her. I go to the movies for pure entertainment. What kept our bond so tight is that she was a genuinely good person, plus I’m a extremely good listener and she had a lot to say. She could laugh at herself and often did. We would “complain” to her how loud she was but when you love someone, you accept the whole person. Cullette could always make me laugh. She had a cutting sense of humor. She was able to laugh, even when she wanted to cry. She obviously was not perfect. She had no tolerance for grammatical or spelling errors. She knew her faults and consciously tried to improve.

I will always remember my last visit with her in Tucson. It was in May, she was living in a place she did not care for, and she had just rented a storage unit. My husband, Philip, and I loaded all her boxes that she left in Portland into a rental truck and drove it down to Tucson. We all went to the Dessert Museum, drove around Tucson, went to dinners, but the best day was just sitting by the swimming pool talking and laughing. We were only there for a couple of days and it was not enough. When we left, I promised her I would come back to Arizona for Spring Training next March and we would go to some baseball games.

She often spoke of all her friends in Tennessee. I can’t remember all the names, but she sent me a picture one time. It was a group of men with Cullette sitting in the middle, which she must have loved. I truly believe she was happiest when she was living in Tennessee. She had a wonderful group of friends, Kelly was close by, and she had a thriving pet sitting business. All of you here today, made her happy. I wish I could be there to thank all of you in person.

If one positive thing comes out of this tragedy, I would wish for all of you to tell the people you appreciate and love, how you feel. I hope Cullette is at peace now and although my heart is heavy, I am resting easy because I told her how much she means to me.

Carolyne Savory