Red Diaper Dharma

In Memoriam

Bill Sonnenschein

March 15, 1949 - December 29, 2008

All of us at Literary Mama are deeply saddened to learn of the death of columnist Ericka Lutz’s husband Bill Sonnenschein. On Monday, December 29, after only a few hours of intense gastric illness, Bill passed away in the small village of Maraontsetra on the east coast of Madagascar. Both Ericka and Annie were with him. The day before, Bill was hiking in the rain forest, spotting lemurs, and sea kayaking at sunset. He was living his life to the fullest.

Ericka's most recent column, Holding, describes so beautifully how she had been coping with the "situational separation" of having Bill work thousands of miles away:

"Yet Bill hasn't really left. Our love is strong, our commitment unbroken. We talk on Skype almost every day, and in between, we email and Twitter. We're still together, we love each other, and this is temporary. He hasn't really left, he's just not here right now."

When someone dies, you search for the right words to comfort. You tell her you're sorry, then offer any help you can. But you can also offer up her own wisdom: He hasn't really left, he's just not here right now.

Expressions of condolence can be posted here in the Comments section.

Comments (12)

Ericka Lutz writes fiction (short and long) and non-fiction (creative and commercial). She is the author of seven non-fiction books including On the Go with Baby: A Stress-Free Guide to Getting Across Town or Around The World and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Stepparenting. Her short stories and creative non-fiction essays have appeared in numerous books, anthologies, and journals including Scrivener Creative Review, Green Mountains Review, Kaleidoscope, Sideshow, France, A Love Story, Child of Mine, Toddler, and Big Ugly Review. She is the recipient of two fiction fellowships at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Ericka teaches writing at U.C. Berkeley and through U.C. Berkeley Extension, and consults privately with writers about their writing and the writing process. Visit her personal website or over at Red Room, where she blogs several times a week.




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