The Passing of a Friend
I first met Huette at an SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) war. Once a year, the local kingdoms get together and have a rather well organized battle at a local campground/park. It's a great excuse to campout somewhere for several days and meet interesting people. One them was Huette. She was the camp's cook, and I immediately volunteered to help, being that I am the camp cook in my circle of friends. So over the next few days I got to know Huette while being a cook's assistant.
I found her to be friendly, accepting, gracious, and generous. She had brought a ton of food, and cooked and cleaned and provided for our local camp wonderful meals aplenty. She was extremely knowledgeable about medieval cooking, and an old hat at just about all things SCA. Everyone seemed to know her, and many would stop by just to talk. Braggers would brag, Gossips would gossip, and Royals would be royally welcome. And what I came to see is that Huette loved them all. She talked and listened: a friend to all.
The only time I saw her upset was over truly unfair events. Like all big societies, there was plenty of politics and backdoor swabbles, and Huette not only witnessed this, she also was sometimes the brunt of it. Seeing that made me never want to become so involved with the SCA that I too could become a victim of the rabble.
Not long ago she found a wonderful lifemate with Hoar, a gifted potter in the SCA who, like her, is friendly, warm, and giving. Together they made a fantasic couple, and were wed. It was great to see Huette with Hoar at the events, selling pottery and talking up a lively debate with everyone. It just fit so well.
Unfortunately, life events don't always go as planned, and Huette fell ill. It turned out to be cancer, and after a valiant battle, she passed away on September 28, 2011.
Goodby Huette, I shall miss you. I wasn't your closest friend, nor your most distant... I was just a friend of a friend , but you still touched my life and I won't forget those days of cooking together.