Sunday, November 1, 2015
Jean Erber was for me an example of a truly good person. She was kind, discrete, wise, deeply sensitive, stubborn, generous, and courageous. She was a pleasure to be around—quick to laugh, insightful, curious, independent minded, and never mean spirited. She was a committed Christian who never judged others or made them uncomfortable because they didn’t share her views. To be this way takes work, and her presence always reminded me that it was worth it. All you had to do was talk with her a little to get the sense of her richness, things you wouldn’t imagine that she had thought about or done or lived through. I remember in particular her friendship with Bill Evans, the jazz great, a classmate in high school who signed the yearbook she showed me. I remember her stories, little things, big things, which always were full of her enjoyment of life. Regardless of her many difficulties, especially in her last years, she was always admirable. I will miss her.
