A New Way to Donate to Keith, Gregory and Miko!

We would really like to keep love flowing toward Keith, Gregory and Miko for a long time to come.  To make it easier to make direct money donations there is now a deposit only bank account at University Federal Credit Union.  You can go by the bank or mail in a check, specifying their account information.

account number: 1800900625480
routing number: 314977405

University Federal Credit Union
PO Box 9350
Austin, TX 78766-9350

Laura Stewart's eulogy for Kara from the service on May 3rd, 2013

I met Kara at Stacy Park when our children were 18 months old. Gregory and Ava were born exactly one week apart and so Kara and I shared that incredible experience of watching your first child’s development and also of watching ourselves develop as parents. I never would have imagined I would be standing here on this occasion, so soon in our lives. But here I am, with all of you. All of you beautiful friends and family that came flowing like a river of love through Keith and Kara’s house in those last few weeks and who were so much a part of Kara’s life. Here I am, sharing my little piece of what Kara’s life meant to those around her.

I am so grateful for the companionship that Kara and I shared. I found such comfort in our friendship. She was such an example of resilience and generosity. She taught me not to apologize so much for myself, a lesson that I am still learning. There was never any pretense with Kara. I found it so very refreshing. She lived according to what she believed so strongly, down to the smallest detail of her life. And I don’t think you can talk about Kara without mentioning her incredible will. Such a force she was. To quote my husband Andrew, “She was the fiercest mamma I ever knew. If anyone can watch her boys from the beyond, it is Kara.”

Now that she is gone I find myself looking to Kara again for comfort, or rather I feel comforted by her. Before Keith asked me to speak here today I wrote this in response to her passing.

Kara’s Smile

Kara used to tell me sometimes, “My mother always said, ‘You can make a choice to be happy. Every day you can make that choice.’” In her last couple of years on this earth I started to doubt her belief in that wisdom. It seemed to me that the struggles of everyday life might be getting the best of her. But in those last few weeks I noticed, maybe for the first time, Kara’s brilliant smile. I guess it was always there, even in the hard times. I had a couple of pictures of us together, the kind that you take by holding your arm out and snapping a sort of joint self-portrait. I always loved those pictures and as I look at them now I can see what it was. It was that smile. It held everything around it in its brilliance. It took you in and gave you a big fat hug, the best kind of hug. If just for a moment, the world was allowed to be just as wonderful as it really is. As Kara began the process of leaving this body behind, her smile shone through it all. At least now and then, her smile let you believe that there was nothing really wrong, even though you hated what was happening to her. I hear that she died with a smile on her face. This gives me tremendous comfort in the face of my grief over Kara being gone. I believe that that smile of hers is powerful enough to carry her through whatever it is that lies in that passageway from here to there and back again. In that dissolution of the world as we know it, I like to think that that smile became all there is, that the universe embraced her like she embraced us all- with warmth and light and love.

A BIG Thank You

keith here, words can not truely express how much i appreciate everyone right now.....but a thank you will suffice for now, if anyone ever needs anything please let me know, i know i know, everyone has been sayin' the same thing to me, but one hand washes another....it was a memorial that i think kara would have liked....she is gone but certainly not forgotten, you know the ol' saying, don't know what ya got til it gone, well dammit, im fully realizing that shit right now, thanks again, peace k