I read the news of Vaiva's illness and passing with great sorrow. You and your family have been in my thoughts and prayers very much on this Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as you led Vaiva to her rest in Lithuania. May the many tributes, prayers, and memories that have been shared so movingly on your blog bring you peace and every consolation. Your writing in the blog is not only a tribute to Vaiva's many accomplishments as an educator and statesman but also a tender witness to the love and devotion in your marriage and family.
I remember our time together dancing for Vetra in New Haven in the mid-1980s with great fondness. In my graduate school years, Vetra was indeed my extended family. I knew Vaiva was destined to do great things for her homeland even back then, when Lithuanian independence seemed like a very distant dream. I am grateful for our friendship during these years.
Since 1989, I have lived in Madison, Wisconsin, where I work for a biotechnology company. My wife, Irene, and I joined a local Lithuanian dance group, Zaibas, and we performed at the 1992 Svente in Chicago. Irene and I had the chance to say hello to Vaiva during rehearsal, and that was the last time I was in touch with her.
It is my sincere hope that you will be in touch when you can find the time. Our families have some striking parallels: Irene and I are also dog lovers (two miniature poodles make up our household); Irene practiced Trust and Estate law here in Madison and now teaches at UW-Madison (she is a devoted and accomplished educator); and we have begun our own anxious journey in treating a recently discovered cancer (Irene was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in October).
With deepest sympathy,
Ray Bandziulis
Madison, Wisconsin
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