Leanne VandeCreek Eulogy

Leanne and Kevin gave loving, thoughtful and emotional Eulogies at Tara's funeral. Kevin has already posted his speach, so below is Leanne's. Tara was very lucky to have such a loving husband in Kevin, and a great friend in Leanne!

It's still so hard to believe she's gone....

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How do you adequately discuss a life that was short, yet so significant? Or sum up what someone you loved meant to you?

Tara was such an open person--very easy to get to know. It really didn’t take long to learn that this fiery redhead was passionate about many things.

First and foremost, she loved her family and friends. If you ever had the pleasure of spending time with Tara and Kevin together, then you know how very happy they made each other. Their similarities and differences complemented each other well. They went just about everywhere--and did everything--together. The life they had built together was wonderful. And less than one year ago, they brought Kiera into the world, and what a joy she is to all of us.

Few couples are fortunate to live in close proximity to both sets of parents. From early on in Tara and Kevin’s relationship, they spent a lot of time with their respective parents and in-laws. They enjoyed getting together for meals and attending performances at Drury Lane and other venues. They took vacations and traveled to places all around the United States and Europe together. Sandra and Jim even came along on a few business trips. I recall having dinner with Jim and Tara on several occasions at different American Library Association Conferences. They just loved being together! Holidays were always very big family events, and Tara spoke often of these gatherings where she could visit with the whole family, including Eric and Karen and their boys.

After Kiera was born and Tara and Kevin had to go back to work, Jim and Sandra and Jay and Elaine worked out a rotating child care schedule. They took turns coming out to DeKalb to take care of Kiera at the townhouse so she could remain in her home environment. How wonderful for Kiera to grow up knowing both sets of grandparents this well. Kiera is a lucky girl to have so many people who love her and are looking out for her best interests.

In addition to being very close with her family, Tara loved her friends—and she had a lot of them. Tara and CJ became friends when they were 3 years old. Tara’s Mom and CJ’s Mom were at a local pool one day, when CJ became fussy and had to go home. Upon getting home they discovered that Tara had bitten CJ on the back—hence the “fussiness”. Despite this toothy beginning, they became best friends and remained such. Few of us probably even recall the names of friends we had when we were three, let alone keep in contact with them today. Throughout her life, Tara maintained old friendships including with people from high school and old boyfriends, while all the while making new ones. Friends she made were friends she kept.

Other things that Tara was passionate about…

I would wager that a large number of people in this room had either engaged Tara in political discussions, or observed her participating in such a discussion. These conversations were frequently heated and involved some table pounding. And that was when you agreed with her! But you know, she didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk. Not a week went by that Tara wasn’t telling me of a petition she signed or a strongly-worded letter she wrote to some policy maker at the state or federal level. She urged everyone to actively participate in the political system. And Heaven help you if you didn’t vote on Election Day!

She cared deeply about the state of the world and its people. She couldn’t tolerate any form of injustice, loss of freedom, or discrimination. She had special empathy for Native Americans and was also very involved in the Presidential Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. I recall a time when Tara and I overheard someone at a restaurant make the following statement: “Little girls should wear dresses and sit quietly while playing with their dolls, while little boys should run around and climb trees in their overalls. That’s just the way of the world.” That really got her going. First came the eyeroll. Then came the crescendoed “discussion”. Check, please! Tara and I used to proudly talk about what tomboys we were when we were little girls. We ran around, and climbed trees, and skinned knees, and went fishin’. And it made us stronger women.

Tara was passionate about learning. Intelligence, intellectual curiosity and education were some of Tara’s many strongsuits. I think if she could have found a way to make a living at being a student, that would have been her chosen profession. When she wasn’t the formal student herself, she was the teacher—whether to music students, or students who worked for her in the Digitization Lab. Her interests were wide and varied, and she truly enjoyed sharing what she knew with others.

And obviously she was passionate about libraries as she spent so much of her life in them. One thing she liked in particular about them is that they go such a long way in supporting 1st Amendment rights and provide unimpeded access to information. One of her favorite t-shirts said “My library has something to offend everyone”. And she wore it with pride.

Food: two words: SUSHI and FONDUE (Although never at the same meal).

Tara is one of the most talented people I will ever know. Nowhere was this more apparent than her in passion for music. From the piano, to the guitar, to the banjo, to the alto sax, to the accordion, to the African Kora, to other instruments I can’t name or pronounce-- from all around the world. She researched them, purchased them, and learned to play them all to one degree or another. She not only taught music for many years but participated in the Yorkville Big Band and the Kish Band.

Shoes: the woman loved shoes. She had more pairs than I’ve ever seen, some of which were her favorites and she wore all the time, like her green Doc Martins. And this pension for shoes extended beyond the ones she wore on her feet to those ceramic collectible ones too. “Shoe” is also a nickname Kevin used for Tara.

Tara once told me that something she first noticed about me was that I was such a “smiley” person. I thought it was funny b/c that was on of the first things I had noticed about HER. And I think you’d all agree that Tara had THE LOUDEST and THE BEST laugh that went along with that great smile. Absolutely infectious.

You know, it’s funny... Aimee and I were talking about this last night. Despite all these talents, interests and activities, Tara frequently described herself as “lazy” which of course couldn’t be further from the truth. In between working, and reading, and political activities and all the rest, she ALWAYS made time for the ones she loved.

Some people move in and out of our lives with little or no impact. Others enter our lives—whether for a short time or a long time-- and touch us in such a way that we are never the same again. Judging by the outpouring of support over the past 5 ½ weeks, and the number of people in this room right now, the list of lives Tara has influenced is long. She’s leaving a huge hole in our lives, and we will miss her dearly.

I’d like to close with a quote from John Donne’s Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVI. I think Tara would be pleased that I’m correctly citing my source, although she may be slightly disappointed by the non-inclusive language. Anyway, it reminds me of Tara’s approach to life and how she felt towards other people:

"No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee. "