To Dear Sister In Law Alina,

Love and blessings have surrounded you for so long. You were taken from us too soon as we had so much more to give you. You have been a delight and inspiration to me since I met you. Oh, how I wish I could have accompanied you on some of your hiking adventures, sat by you next to a Alpine lake and enjoying the wildflowers along the trail. Your artwork that you gave me will continue to hang on my wall where I can see and enjoy it every day. And I will never forget your playful nature. Mud puddles with the kids…OK with you! Sliding down a snowy hill on your bottom…OK with you! What a beautiful spirit you have!

You tenderhearted soul! You, who willing took on every naughty pets defense as their Attorney without pay! Innocent in your eyes even with the preponderance of evidence pointing to their guilt. It must have been their soulful eyes, right?

Most of all, I want to assure you that we are well aware of the wonderful, wonderful blessing you have been to my brother Page. You were the perfect light in his life, his soulmate in its purest form.

You have lived your life with courage facing the difficulties thrown in your path. You have been an inspiration to all of us Tullochs by sharing your view of the world and the joys to be found in it. My cherished memories of you will stay with me for a lifetime. 

Love, Pam

Alina was my wonderful Aunt by marriage to Page. I have so many great memories of her. One memory is when I was visiting both her and Uncle Page in Washington and she took me to her community garden and we worked together in her garden bed. Another great memory I have of her is when her and Uncle Page came out to California to surprise us for Thanksgiving and they both came out wearing turkey leg hats that made noise. Also when we were all together in Missouri visiting family Uncle Page and Alina rented a car for their visit and when Aunt Alina got into the car all you could see was the top of her head at the bottom of the window. We all debated about getting her a booster seat. And one more great memory is how she became mine and my brother pet’s attorney. I will miss her dearly. 

Alina was one of my closest friends for nearly 30 years. We danced together, taught dance together, attended concerts, dance performances and plays together, attended book club meetings together, hiked and walked together, went out for coffee together, and talked and laughed and talked and laughed some more together. I will miss her laugh, the way she crinkled up her face when she smiled, her intelligence and creativity... but most of all, her kindness. Alina embodied the spirit of love, and she will be sorely missed.

As one of Alina's Nebraska cousins, I didn't see much Alina with her living in Washington and me in Nebraska. But we saw each other now and then as we grew up, and in recent years I enjoyed seeing Alina at family reunions. I loved her sense of humor! Her energy for life was felt the moment she entered a room (or the picnic grounds). Her presence will be missed, and thoughts of her will always bring a smile.

   As Alina's partner for twenty-seven years and husband for nearly eight, I can draw from my well of memories about her literally hundreds of poignant and touching recollections. Here are just a few:

* Alina's decision-making technique of flipping a coin. This was applied to 
  simple and important decisions, even getting married. After several years
  of my humor-infused inquiries about getting married, she flipped a
  penny. Heads it's "Yes, I'll marry you within the year", tails it's "Ill get back
  to you on that." It was heads.True to form, when I asked her about the
  date she replied, smiling "I didn't say what year".

* Regarding the above, Alina, knowing that I hate beets, posed a challenge
  that she would indeed marry me if I ate a beet a day for a year. She
  thought I wouldn't fall for that. But I did, and I consumed 365 of the darn
  things. Talk about a year of beet-related memories. It was quite a lark!

* Her keeping our Dumb Bet Book. As we began our life together, Alina
  noticed some of my ideas about things, especially science, were, frankly,
  dumb. She would point out the flaws in my ideas, to which I bet her a
  coffee and a pastry that I was correct. Noting the often absurdity and
  frequency of our bets, Alina initiated the Dumb Bet Book where we
  recorded each bet and who prevailed. Admittedly, she won more bets
  than I did.

* Our camping adventures. Alina was her happiest in nature. Hiking,
  camping, taking in the great features and wildlife of the natural world.
  Our earlier outdoor travels taken in our 1996 Toyota station wagon
  packed with our tent, hiking gear and camp foods took us to Canada's.
  British Columbia Parks, to the Northern extent of Vancouver Island,
  the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California and myriad travels
  across the Northwest. We later acquired our beloved teardrop camper
  we named Gumdrop and toured most of the Southwest, our favorite
  being Chaco Culture National Historic Park.

 Everywhere we stopped to camp or explore, Alina would be out ahead
 on the trail, backpack over her shoulders with a gleaming smile. She was
 truly at home in the out-of-doors, immersed in nature and sleeping under
 the stars. Those travels we shared were among the happiest times of our
 lives together.

* Alina the Pet Attourney (purposely misspelled). Alina had a real soft spot
  for pets of all shapes, sizes and species - you name it. Several pets we
  were acquainted with, one dog in particular who shall remain nameless
  (Bella), would routinely pull the most absurd stunts, usually involving
  large quantities of food. Alina represented said miscreant in loosely
  defined criminal proceedings and got her client off with a mild reprimand
  and house arrest. Alina's "Flaw" practice's motto was: "They're
  Innocent! Each and every one of them." Her business card is posted in
  the Gallery above.

   These are just a few memories to share at the moment. I'll add more as
time permits. I am truly blessed to have Alina in my life. She will always be
with me - always.