Our friend and family member, Rebecca Antoinette Griego, died from complications of Alzheimer's Disease some eight years after she was diagnosed. Rebecca was born July 9,  1946 in Albuquerque, NM, and died on January 27, 2024. Her parents, Sipriano and Annabelle Griego, and her brother Rudy grew up in "the Valley". Rebecca always quipped that she somehow was related to half of Albuquerque and never talked to the other half.  In fact, Rebecca had many families, only some of whom shared genetics.  "Blood" family included her nieces and their children, her son Matthew and his wife Tanya, as well as his children and ultimately great grandchildren. 

Rebecca had families scattered across the country about whom she cared deeply: John and Helen Wykle in Asheville, NC, Luise Pino Hasse in Las Cruces, NM, the Tavaszi's in Pinole, CA, and of course her non-blood daughter from Rhode Island, Christine Clarkin, and her three children who became grandchildren to Rebecca. She cared about people including old neighbors from Atascadero, the Stettlers, and others connected to that town.  Her most recent family member was Wanda Fricke with whom she attended groups for Alzheiemer's. They would visit each other and make quips about the disease and go into stores to "touch something." Her Bay Area family with whom we shared many holidays adopted her and provided emotional support throughout this process.  She was a people person, and, I should add, a "dogophile" having been cared for by any number of canine caregivers. 

Recently, very close family and friends scattered her ashes outside of Golden Gate Bridge from a sailboat. Cumulatively, Rebecca and I probably spent years in sailboats, given how often we went sailing. She loved the Bridge.

Her loyalty, her commitment to people, her wonder that so many kind, smart people were part of her life, and her humor were qualities that all of us will remember. We'll all mourn her, families will recognize her absence, and we'll all grieve that her life unalterably changed with her illness. Even during the last years with fading physical and cognitive abilities, bits of teasing humor, a sudden ability to follow a conversation, a sweet kiss remained almost to the end. 

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