DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
Members' Mausoleum => Calendar Events / Announcements Archive => Calendar Events / Announcements '24 I => Calendar Events / Announcements '08 II => Topic started by: Janet the Wicked on December 23, 2008, 02:38:56 AM
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Last week I lost the love of my life. Her name was Nina, but she was known to most as Niki. She was John Karlen's biggest fan. She had a memorial cement plaque made with JK's service in Korea installed at the college where she worked - Aiken Technical College in South Carolina. John thought the world of Niki. The last Fest we attended, Niki had found a Broadway playbill type thing that JK had starred in. He signed it for her and thought it was the greatest thing in the world that she had come across this thing. We talked to JK often. He was always interrested in what we were cooking on the grill, steaks, veggies, you name it. He really adored my Niki.
There are no words to describe how heartbroken I am. I miss her so much. She was a published author, wrote a book about the Graniteville train wreck. She was a reporter at heart and ran down the street from our home to photograph the disaster, with no thought of her own safety. The picture was published through the API - worldwide. She was interviewed by several corps across the country. Niki had a heart of gold. She often cooked big Sunday dinners and brought them to people in our community less fortunate than ourselves. She made my life so wonderful, never a thought of herself. She brought me much happiness and joy throughout our daily lives. I'm going to miss her. My life is so empty without her. She made me so wicked happy every single waking day. I am so lost and lonely. Anyway, say a prayer for her. She loved Dark Shadows, and adored Willie. She loved Old Man Frid too. Christina Pilz is going to post some of Niki's stories on her website. I will forward the web address when I am settled. I have come back to New England to be with my family. Anyone that wants to send me a hug may do so. I need it bad.
Bless you all. Niki loved you and so do I.
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Dear Janet, I am so sorry for your loss. Your Niki sounds like a beautiful soul. You will certainly be in my prayers. [hug] [hug]
ProfStokes
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I am so sorry, Janet! Here's a great, big hug for you!!!
Gerard
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Dear Janet,
I am so sadden to hear of your loss.
You are in my thoughts and prayers.
{{{{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Julianka
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My deepest sympathy to you, Janet. And a big hug, too. What a sad loss. I'm looking forward to reading Niki's stories.
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Thank you, one and all. It's a sad time of year to lose your beloved. Man... I'm going to miss her. I have been fortunate to have connected with friends old and new the past few days. Support.
Niki told me a story about her not letting Dan Curtis into some function or other because she didn't know who he was. I laughed and told her that she needed to relate that story on the Forum. Unfortunately, she never got around to it.
I miss her. She requested that donations be made to the ASPCA. She loved animals. A few weeks ago, while on one of her pet-sitting stints, I got to know some horses in Aiken. One horse in particular took a fancy to me. He was worth 500,000 bucks. I had no clue. Niki knew, though. She laughed and was amused that the horse took a liking to me. That was her way.
Please say a prayer for Niki. Keep her in your hearts. She was the best friend I ever had.
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I'm out of words, so for now I'll just... (((((Janet)))))
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Christina has posted the Gina Lee series. For those of you not familiar with the KarlenZine stories, Gina Lee was a girl that loved Willie, her kids loved Willie, Gina Lee knew of Willies perils with Barnabas. Niki and Christina worked on these stories with heart and soul, Mary too to create a series of beloved tales about Willie.
I'm looking forward to reading Niki's stories.
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Janet, I'm so sorry for your loss--my deepest sympathy.
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Janet, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.
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I'm so sorry to hear of your loss Janet, you're both in my thoughts. *hugs*
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Thank you for the explanation, Janet. I found at least some of Niki's stories on a blog by another writer named Sylvia Bond. Is it okay for me to post the link to them?
I'm sorry Niki never used her account here so that we could have come to know her better. Again, my thoughts of sympathy are with you.
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Nik was quite a character (she would have to be in order to be with Janet!) and a very loving, caring person as well. I know how much I will miss her and glad she and Janet had the time they did together. I will keep you both in my thoughts and prayers.
nancy
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Is it okay for me to post the link to them?
Yes. You can go ahead and post them. There are a number of people who are interrested in reading the Willie stories. Thank you.
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My heart goes out for you- epsecially at this time of year. There is one consolation: at least you had the love of someone special, and so many of us spend a lifetime looking for 'the one'.
BTW, can someone provide a link to Niki's 'Willie' stories? After all, who doesn't love Willie Loomis (or his portrayer!)?
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There are a number of people who are interrested in reading the Willie stories.
Dark Shadows Fanfiction (http://sylviabond.com/dark-shadows-fanfiction/)
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Janet I'm so sorry for your loss. You and Nik were so fun to hang out with the last time I saw you. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
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Janet, I am so sorry for your loss. You will be in my prayers.
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Please accept my deepest sympathy, JtW.
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{{{Janet}}}
It's so sad about Nikki. She was truly a one-of-a-kind person, one of the most generous, kind-hearted people I've ever known. And her talent as a writer was exceptional. She had a gift few writers have--the ability to create a character in just a few lines who is instantly understood by the reader. Her work certaily enriched the KarlenZines. (The Gina Lee series was only a small part of what she published there. She peopled Collinsport with real, believable people.) An amazing woman, she will be missed by those of us who knew and loved her. My heart goes out to you and her family.
—Mary
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mary - you captured my sentiments perfectly! Beautiful and so true.
Nancy
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You have my deepest sympathies, Janet. Please know that you'll be in my thoughts and prayers.
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I will miss Niki as well. I first met her in 2001, but didn't really get to know her until I roomed with her and Janet in 2006 at the last Brooklyn DSF. Even though I hadn't seen her and Janet since then, we all spoke on the phone several times (the last being maybe just over month before) for an hour or more at a time! When Nik was on the line, she told me about living in her little town, their pets, the local cuisine, and her other interests. I wish I had a recording of these calls, because it's still very hard to believe that (like another friend of mine who passed away a couple of months ago) I will never get
to speak to her again.
My impression was that she was very quiet and thoughtful, and that she and Janet were a good match, for all they were so different. She would speak at length and with an amiable wit on the phone. Niki and Janet were on their way to convincing me to visit down their way at some time in the near future. Fate had other plans, unfortunately.
I will also miss new works from her--- insofar as DS fan-fiction goes, she didn't write so much about the supernatural or "special FX", more about the effects of that mysterious and horrible influence of the newly-released Barnabas had on bystanders. In the case of the Willie stories, on people Willie encountered: victims he was made to entice, friends he discovered in spite of his overbearing Master breathing down his neck. She detailed the mundane work Willie did, reminding one that if he screwed up even one detail, he'd get a thrashing or worse. At the same time, she caught the tiny glimmerings of the reluctant vampire's equally reluctant return to humanity.
Her take on the subject was compassionate without being sentimental, and the close details gave one the feel of what it was like to live in a small, isolated town in the 1960s. Things a typical suburbanite even back then wouldn't consider, though kids in my age group would have had parents who lived through the Depression, like how poor fisherfolk and factory workers would heat their homes in a backwards village in Maine which hadn't changed much since before the Depression.
Truly, this was a person who was stolen from the world before she had a chance to show that world yet more of what she was capable.
Niki was also well-regarded by many in her area, as these articles I've found will attest:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/1216Nidiffer (http://www.aikenstandard.com/Local/1216Nidiffer)
http://www.aikenstandard.com/EditorsCorner/1216-editorsnote (http://www.aikenstandard.com/EditorsCorner/1216-editorsnote)
These are articles about her (non-DS) book about the Graniteville train wreck, UNNATURAL DISASTER, which didn't kill many people, but had a great effect on the area:
http://www.aikenstandard.com/EditorsCorner/1216-editorsnote (http://www.aikenstandard.com/EditorsCorner/1216-editorsnote)
http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/2168862.html (http://www.wrdw.com/home/headlines/2168862.html)
This site has a pretty good, large reproduction of her original photo of the wreck as appeared in AP news outlets worldwide in 2005 (scroll down page):
http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df/df01102005.shtml (http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df/df01102005.shtml)
Over those years, I did have some pictures that included Niki, from the Fests. Having just done some re-scans and adjusting older pictures (some of which, in their older forms, are on the Yahoo WillieLoomislist site) I present 2 views, one of Niki and John Karlen looking at the "Sweet Bird of Youth" programme, and the last one from the 2006 banquet.
Lorraine B.
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Lorraine, that was a very touching, sentimental tribute. I'd like to thank you for posting the links (one editoriaol I didn't even know about), and the photos and your remembrance of the kid. She really was a great spirit.
Yesterday was the first day that I was able to finally let go and have a good cry. It was a long one. I cried myself to sleep even.
I would like to thank you all for your support and warm wishes. I'm saddened too that Niki wasn't a part of this board. I used to tell her about some of the topics and she would have insightful comments that would have been appreciated here. Unfortunately, it was not to be.
Gotta focus now on finding a job, a place to live, and keeping Niki happily in my thoughts.
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Janet, I am so very sorry to read of your loss. May your memories of Niki bring you comfort. What a fine, remarkable individual she was.
best wishes,
Steve (aka Gothick)
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Lorraine, thanks for gathering all those links and, indeed, what a wonderful tribute to Nik!
I will miss her. What a great character she was.
DS brings good people together.
Nancy