Author and editor Jane Lotter has passed away. At the end of her life, she wrote her own obituary–a touching look back at a literary lifetime.
Lotter published The Bette Davis Club and won the Humorous Writing award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her “Jane Explains” column in the Jet City Maven. Here’s an excerpt from her obituary:
I also want to thank Mrs. Senour, my first grade teacher, for teaching me to read. I loved witty conversation, long walks, and good books. Among my favorite authors were Iris Murdoch (particularly The Sea, The Sea) and Charles Dickens … I met Bob Marts at the Central Tavern in Pioneer Square on November 22, 1975, which was the luckiest night of my life. We were married on April 7, 1984. Bobby M, I love you up to the sky. Thank you for all the laughter and the love, and for standing by me at the end. Tessa and Riley, I love you so much, and I’m so proud of you. I wish you such good things. May you, every day, connect with the brilliancy of your own spirit. And may you always remember that obstacles in the path are not obstacles, they ARE the path.
(Via Sarah Wendell)