Rita Speaks

The quiet “little deaths” of everyday existence are mourned as much as those of resounding magnitude, for grief makes no comparisons nor judgments, and has no understanding of degree. Rusty Berkus

I’m sorry it’s been so long since you’ve heard from me. I have been swallowed up by the depth of darkness that one can find in grief.

I lost my best friend, my lover of the body, mind, and spirit, my soul mate of 23 years! Severe depression complicated by post traumatic stress syndrome and the torment of the last few weeks of Les’ life have been all consuming! Countless should haves, and even more whys! I still have to struggle to face each day, but I now think I am strong enough to go forward working to keep Les’ legacy alive by paying it forward the way Les would want us to, the way he did every day of his life! I am here to ask if you can stand up with me and for Les. He would be so honored to have his memory work for the good of the people that meant the world to him.

Les gave of himself even in his final days undergoing additional treatment that would benefit those diagnosed with metastatic melanoma a chance to survive, his suffering was tremendous but his spirit and love were always amazing! In speaking at Senator Kennedy’s funeral, a man intimately familiar with dealing with the loss of his loved ones, President Obama quoted him in a letter he had written to a wife who lost her loved one after 911. It read “As you know the passage of time never really heals such a great loss. But we carry on because we have to, because our loved ones would want us to and because there is still light to guide us in the work from the love they gave us.”

Please join us Friday, September 16th for the 2nd Annual Silent Auction Dinner with Michael Alan Harrison and Julianne Johnson performing, with Brenda Braxton emceeing. Les loved these dear people! Their amazing talent and genuine giving hearts are so much like Les’ in many respects, and we are excited and honored to have them be a big part of our event! I am asking for your help in supporting Les’ legacy. If you are unable to attend please consider contributing what you can financially to the Les Sarnoff Memorial Foundation which is now an official 501c3 non-profit foundation.

There are twenty-six organizations and charities that Les participated in during his thirty years at KINK, and many of them even longer. They range from his beloved Oregon Humane Society and Children’s Cancer Association, the Oregon Symphony, the Portland Rescue Mission, OMSI, the Ronald McDonald’s House, the Oregon Food Bank, Make A Wish, Parkinson’s Center, the Children’s Museum, Portland Oprah, and Dornbecker Children’s Hospital. And the list goes on and on, from Montessori schools, to churches, to home owned businesses, to local artists. He served on the boards of the Perry Center, the Leukemia Society, the Oregon Humane Society, and the Montessori Institute. Whether it was taking pictures with animals for “Santa Paws”, or helping a youth group at Abundant Life to raise money for a mission trip, or going on his own mission trip with World Vision to the Dominican Republic, my man gave and gave tirelessly and endlessly in any way he could! Now it’s our turn to carry on his light and love!