We have gathered here, yes, because we all love Roxanne, but more than that-
we are all here today because she loved us.
She loved us hard.
She loved us loud.
And she loved us big.
The last few days have been filled with questions, sorrow, and uncertainties- but one thing I am certain of- today, the women in this room made sure their hair was on point.
Another thing I am certain of- she wants us to laugh.
This room is full of people who have countless stories to tell about Roxanne.All of our stories include laughter and some level of crazy. Stories that are filled with colorful language or might need to be censored.
We knew her as Roxie, Rox, Hot Dog, Spanky, Daisy. Her Roller Derby sisters know her as Cornbred Fed. But she absolutely hated when people would sing “Roxanne”
She was always busy dreaming, reinventing, creating – she recently text me and said “I can’t talk right now, I am too busy building an empire”.
She was busy making all of us feel better no matter what the cost. She was a successful hairstylist because she made everyone feel they were beautiful. That is a gift.
She would chase you down if you messed with Heather.
She once called me and said “your ex-boyfriend had the nerve to come in for a haircut today- but don’t you worry sister- I gave him uneven sideburns, he won't be back.
I will never forget when she got her first tattoo. I ended up behind her at a red light- she gets out of her car pulls up her shirt and screams “look at this” and gets back in her car. As if that was normal. But this was normal for her, in middle school she used stand on the hood of my mother’s car mooning us, while my mom and her mom yelled at her to get down.
She loved art. She was an artist. She loved poetry and she loved to write (even though you can't read her handwriting).
She loved music and, my gosh, that girl loved to dance.
She squeezed in about 80 years of life into 37 short years.
She had stars in her eyes when she talked about God. And she served people well.
So what do we do after today?
We make the world a better place for her daughter by loving each other and living big.
I will leave you with the words Roxanne wrote on March 6.
Thank you to everyone!!! All of the Happy Birthdays on Facebook ... All of the sweet text. All of the thoughtful gifts. The older I get ... I see. I see how thankful I am for my very diverse friends. I love it and I feel so blessed by it. I embrace getting older. I'm thankful I've been able to do so. Life is short .... I've lived and loved every minute of it baby!! To love and be loved is the greatest gift of all. Take nothing for granted. Life .... Is too short!!!
She squeezed in about 80 years of life into 37 short years.
She had stars in her eyes when she talked about God. And she served people well.
So what do we do after today?
We make the world a better place for her daughter by loving each other and living big.
I will leave you with the words Roxanne wrote on March 6.
