Godspeed, Jeannett.

As most of you have learned by now, Jeannett Slesnick passed away last night after a long and difficult struggle with lymphoma. She fought her battle publicly, always admirably and never gratuitously, and refused until the very end to let that wretched and evil illness do to her spirit what it had done to her body. And while I have no right to any knowledge of her last moments, I am somehow possessed with the uncanny and inviolable certainty that she succumbed with all the strength, grace, and dignity befitting such a remarkable woman.

I have neither the capacity nor the license to fully eulogize Jeannett. That is a solemn task that should be left to those who knew her best, to those who earned her love. Instead, I will pay my respects through reticence, and note simply that I am glad to have known her at all, to have had the chance to see for myself, however faintly and however remotely, the subtle contours of that splendid human being behind the glowing reputation.

The night sky shines more beautifully tonight, for the heavens have gained another star. Godspeed, Jeannett.