Colleen Tribute

The last time I saw Cullette was two years ago when she stayed with me in Santa Fe for a couple of weeks on her way from Tennessee to Oregon. She was a wonderful houseguest, and it was a pleasure to show her around Santa Fe’s art galleries and restaurants. I have a collage of photos of her smiling I special spots all over town and out hiking at Bandelier National Monument. I remember we were all feeling proud of Cullette for bravely making the cross-country drive and having the courage to establish herself as an adult in a city of her choosing.



What I will remember always about Cullette is how she wanted her clothes and jewelry to match – I almost never do that, but it was important to her and now I think of her whenever I coordinate my clothes by color. She loved animals, especially dogs, and was such an excellent dog-sitter. I think of her whenever I buy “Chips!” – she had a cute, funny way of saying the word that acknowledged them as a guilty pleasure but also essential! She loved the Wild Animal Park and the County Fair in San Diego, the movie SOB, and watching baseball, especially the Padres. She was a good gardener and plants thrived under her care.


I was planning to fly down to visit Cullette in Tucson when we found out she had ended her life. She and I were going to visit a couple of museums and enjoy dinner and a movie. I was supposed to check out her kitchen to see if all three of her sisters could converge there to cook Thanksgiving dinner together. Even though we won’t be able to do that, we still feel like we have three sisters – just one went home early. We will remember her smile and her voice and her laugh and take comfort in knowing that she is most certainly in a happy place now.