This is not easy. It hurts and it’s hard. Floja was such a large part of our community for so long. How could it be otherwise?
She passed away from cancer this past Saturday night, November 27th.
From a FB post informing friends about her passing —
Paula had been fighting an aggressive form of breast cancer since 2019. After the first round of chemo and radiation she was told she was cancer free earlier this year. In September, she found herself in the emergency room where they discovered Stage 4 cancer settled in her left lung. Paula opted out of more chemo and a little extra time with a miserable quality of life. Last night she passed peacefully at the home of her beloved sister and her pet family. She died the way she lived, her way.
Her way consisted of music, books, good movies and tv, friends, adored family, her much loved cats, and so many of you. And hovers. She was the Queen of Hovers.
She loved to cook good meals for her friends and family. They’d gather and share wine selected to match the dishes she prepared, enjoying lengthy far-ranging conversations.
She was brilliant, funny, and deeply caring.
But so many of you know that.
Everyone in the many groups she belonged to knows that. From J Town, Mojo Friday = Musings for Friday, Pink Clubhouse, Environmental Foodies, Daily Kos Wine Lovers, Readers and Book Lovers, Sustainable Food and Agriculture, Friends of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow, Netroots For The Troops®, Black Kos community, Protest Music, Moose On The Loose, Barriers and Bridges, I Vote for Democrats, Los Angeles Kossacks, to Kitchen Table Kibitzing
She was and will always be an indelible part of this community.
Her birthday is this coming December 5th. I’ll be making a donation to a favorite Animal Sanctuary of mine in her honor. Animal sanctuaries, No Kill Shelters, and Pet Food Banks, were all near to her heart. Or if you wish, you can make a donation to a Breast Cancer Research organization of your choice. For example — the Susan F. Smith Center for Women's Cancers at the Dana- Farber Cancer Institute.
So many of you have stories to tell. Memories of being with her at Netroots Nation. Memories of her at President Obama’s Inauguration. Memories of her in your homes. Memories of her here fighting relentlessly for a better, fairer, more just world.
This post is for you. This post is for her family. This post is for our Floja Roja, our Paula.
So come, let us gather to honor a remarkable human being. Someone who will always live on in our hearts.
If it wasn’t so early, I’d say raise your glasses to the incomparable Floja Roja. She’d probably say that it is after five in the afternoon somewhere.
Raise your coffee cups or beverage of choice. Bring your stories and songs. Bring your tears and laughter.
Today, we honor one of our own.
For Floja
