In MemoriamPart II:
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I Remember Caitlin Getting Heckled by the Man by Anne Soffee (Open High School Class of '85)
I
have a Caitlin story that I
have told for years. In 1981, when I was a freshman at
Open High, Caitlin (who was a year ahead of me) had a
pair of electric blue spandex disco pants. You could
see her coming from blocks away in those pants. Not
exactly typical school wear, but I'm sure you've heard
about Open High, so, you know, anything went.
Anyway, one day Caitlin and
I were waiting at the bus stop on First and Broad,
headed for class, and a fairly nice car pulled up to the
curb and stopped. The automatic window rolled down, and
this austere looking joe-businessman type, a
silver-haired guy, leaned out and said "I just had to
pull over and tell you those are the most horrible pants
I have ever seen!" He shook his head disapprovingly,
rolled up the window and pulled off.
Caitlin and I were
speechless. I can see her face like it was yesterday.
We were used to getting heckled by rednecks, winos and
other teenagers, but it was really a fashion coup when
you got heckled by the man!
On the bus ride to class, we
had a good giggle and thought of all the smart-ass
responses we should have said to him had we not been
standing there with our mouths hanging open like we
were. Whenever I think of Caitlin, I think of those
blue spandex pants and that disapproving businessman.
Who would have thought she'd go on to change the world?
 
Through the years as she embarked into her chosen career, she would share stories showing the absurdities of life. She used a rubber band gun to shoot unsuspecting coworkers to let off steam. She embraced life and the people in it. She had a rare gift to see all people as they really were and accept them for who they were. She loved people in all forms and
generally loved life. She loved the way Paige could tell a
story; she loved lunches with Uncle Brian; she loved the
way Mike and Brenda still hold hands; she loved the way
Dan and Michele opened their home to her; she loved Nick
stories; she loved that Ron and Marianna, personally took
Tim and her on tour in Arizona; she loved Ireland; she
loved Tim; she loved life.
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Caitlin
and Tim came out to Arizona to visit just a few months
ago. Caitlin
had been asking about those famous energy vortexes and
the claims of all sorts of amazing happenings around
them. 
While at the Airport Mesa vortex, I watched her
take off her hat and she was using her hands to
pull
that energy out of the air and into her
head with that
wonderful smile beaming all the time. Later in the trip
we sat on the back porch of the El Tovar Hotel at the
Grand Canyon, sipping a beer (or two), watching the
sunset, and sharing family stories. It was a wonderful
evening. 
Shannon
had just come to live with us and I was moving offices.
Aunt Maureen, 13-year-old Caitlin and her
brother Sean came with their station wagon to help move. Task master Aunt
Maureen made sure we all worked hard all day, despite
the beginnings of a snow fall and forecast for a
blizzard. As the afternoon went on,
it became clear that they wouldn't make it back
to Richmond, so we all camped out in our apartment. In
the morning, Caitlin got up early and went down to see
the snow. She came back to report excitedly that it was up to her waist.
Looking out from the 10th floor, the snow
didn't look that deep to skeptical Aunt Maureen. "Let's
pack up and go," she said. Caitlin said "We can't."
Aunt Maureen said, "We can." Caitlin was
adamant. Aunt Maureen was boss. So they packed up,
went down the elevator, got out to the street and sure enough,
they were no going anywhere. DC had two feet
of snow and DC can't handle 2 inches. This turned out to
be the 3rd heaviest snowfall in D.C.'s history. Caitlin
was right and didn't pass up the chance to (sweetly) say
I told you so. So, we all got to play for another
day. Caitlin-the-organizer organized everyone into a
snow ball fight and a snowman making operation. 
I
was always relieved when her name was on the schedule to
work with me on Saturdays at the Daily Planet. When I
came to the Planet, Caitlin had been there for years
caring for folks in various capacities, but now she
worked elsewhere during the week full time, and came to
the Daily Planet on weekends as a weekend/relief worker.
Despite her weekday work which required lots of mental
energy, Caitlin always arrived for her shift at the
Daily Planet giving 150% to all of the members and
staff. I can tell you I learned an awful lot from her
example. Caitlin took the time to know the members well.
She could tell from across the room if someone had
skipped their medication or if someone had been
drinking. The members were keenly aware that she cared.
She was a persistent and phenomenal advocate for helping
the members to access needed services. I knew that when
Caitlin was on the schedule --if someone was
decompensating and needed hospitalization--that they
wouldn't get missed. And if they were just a little off
from their baseline, Caitlin would use her relationship
with them to help them to help themselves prevent a
crisis. She provided support to staff and members alike.
She was never shy about expressing her opinion, and
while she could be extra assertive when needed, there
was always a glimmer of her soft, compassionate, feeling
side shining through--which just added strength to
whatever subject she was passionate about. And as
everyone who knew her knows, her sense of humor was
ever-present. It totally amazed me that she was able to
sustain that humor throughout her illness. And even more
amazing that she (or any human being) was able to
sustain such a positive outlook, such a complain-free
existence during the most physically and emotionally
trying of times. Though she had every right to
complain...her strength and toughness through all that
will forever be a source of inspiration to me, and like
her work at the Daily Planet, will serve as an example,
providing vicarious strength always. You could count on
Caitlin. Caitlin, may you rest in peace my dear friend.
Thanks for the memories. Peace and love, Lori
Caitlin
was my email friend. I enjoyed sharing things with her.
Several times she would email a prediction of sorts and
oddly enough, it always seemed to come true. After the
[Larkin] family reunion that was held here in August of
2002, I continued to have an email exchange with Caitlin
that lasted until a few days before she died. I remember
once complaining that I could hardly survive financially - I
was worried about a bad winter with no snow and no business.
Caitlin replied as per below... it was just a short message
of hope. I got a few of these kinds of cryptic messages
about some unknown event to come. Her prophecy would come to
pass. On August 30, 2002, Caitlin wrote, "Lotsa snow
this year. but it will be a little weird like 2 feet, then
nothing, then another huge dump. They will come to
you...."My numbers were up 15% when other similar
businesses showed double digit percentage drops. There were
record breaking snowfalls - exactly as Caitlin said it
would. The winter was fabulous. It might be outrageous to
relate my survival simply to Caitlin's words - but the fact
is, I know she cared. Maybe just the positive support from a
friend was enough to give me the hope I needed to hold on.
-- Just some words to you Caitlin... should you read this
from another dimension. I love you, and I miss you. Your
friend, Steele
My
first memories of Caitlin were as a young girl at
grandmother's house in the summer. A blonde shadow
somewhere in the vicinity of Crystal. Later, I would live
with Aunt Maureen, Grandmother, Sean and Caitlin for a
year (1981 to 1982) when I attended school in Virginia.
Caitlin was this tall, fearless young woman (15 to 16) who
did nothing halfway. She embraced life with enthusiasm,
she sang in a band (" Do you want to know a
Secret" was one of the popular songs). She attended
an alternate style high school. I remember bare feet and
"parachute" type pants. I remember Aunt Maureen
teaching her Latin at the dining room table as one of her
subjects. She loved gardening and was a hard worker about
the house. Her friends were an unusual crowd by my
standards but were all fiercely loyal to her. Her humor is
legendary.