[Nfbf-l] FW: [Gduf-l] Sad news

[Patricia A. Lipovsky]

Dan, I like your quote at the end of your email. Would you mind if I 
borrowed it?


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dan Hicks" <danjhicks at yahoo.com>
To: "'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'" <nfbf-l at nfbnet.org>; "'Nfbf 
Leaders'" <nfbf-leaders at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2011 12:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfbf-l] FW: [Gduf-l] Sad news


> I, too, am shocked and saddened by Rita's passing. I knew that she had 
> been
> ill, but did not realize how serious her illness was or that it was 
> ongoing.
> Knowing Rita, that is just the way she wanted it.
>
> The NFBF has lost one of our loyal and longtime supporters. We will all 
> miss
> Rita.
>
> "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily.
> Not to dare is to lose oneself."
>                 - Soren Kierkegaard
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbf-l-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of
>> Kathy Davis
>> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 11:12 PM
>> To: 'NFB of Florida Internet Mailing List'; Nfbf Leaders
>> Subject: [Nfbf-l] FW: [Gduf-l] Sad news
>>
>> Dear NFBF Friends,
>> I am absolutely stunned to tell you that our dear and treasured friend,
> Rita
>> Princivalli passed away as the result of cancer. I am simply stunned by
> this
>> news as I didn't even know Rita was ill.
>>
>> I tried to reach her several times to no avail and Allen Bornstein tried
> to
>> connect with her too. What a complete and utter shock!!
>>
>> For those of you who did not know Rita well, you may remember that she is
>> the terrific and giving woman who put on the "What's New and Cool for the
>> Blind" seminar at state convention.
>>
>> Please read on to see what Debbie Grubb, has to say about Rita. Bless her
>> dear and giving heart!
>> Often Rita told people that the reason she became a puppy raiser was
> because
>> when she worked for the Center for the Visually Impaired here in Daytona
>> Beach, Rita simply fell in love with my first Seeing Eye dog, Dorsey. It
> was
>> also because of a dear friend's guide dog named Heidi.
>>
>> I will miss her and so regret that I had no idea that she was battling
>> cancer. God bless her giving heart and her love for blind people and 
>> their
>> guide dogs.
>>
>> Kathy
>>
>>
>>   _____
>>
>> From: Patricia A. Lipovsky [mailto:plipovsky at cfl.rr.com]
>> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 7:26 PM
>> To: Kathy Davis
>> Subject: Fw: [Gduf-l] Sad news
>>
>>
>> Hi Kathy.
>>
>> I didn't know if you had heard or not so I thought I would forward this 
>> to
>> you.
>>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Debbie Grubb <mailto:debbiecg at verizon.net>
>> To: Guide Dog Users of Florida <mailto:gduf-l at emissives.com>
>> Sent: Friday, April 08, 2011 12:28 PM
>> Subject: [Gduf-l] Sad news
>>
>> Because Rita Princivalli touched the lives of so many guide dog users, I
> am
>> sharing the message with you that I just sent to the Southeastern Guide
> Dog
>> Users e-mail list.
>>
>>
>>
>> hello Freedom Family,
>>
>> I am saddened to post the news of the passing of our beloved friend, Rita
>> Princivalli.  Today, Rita lost the valiant battle that she had been 
>> waging
>> against cancer.  Rita's was the first voice that many of us heard as we
>> arranged for our first or return visit to Southeastern Guide Dogs. 
>> Rita's
>> presence during class brought each student respite from the stress of
> guide
>> dog school and a touch of longing for home, important knowledge about
> caring
>> for our dogs, vital information about the Americans with Disabilities Act
> ,
>> our access rights and responsibilities, and opportunities for enjoyable
>> activities on and off campus.  Having had the opportunity to spend time
> with
>> Rita and her friend, David, I know beyond a doubt that the affection and
>> respect that all of us felt for Rita was returned in abundance.
>>
>> Rita's daughter is about to give birth to her second child.  When she is
>> able to travel, there will be a memorial service for our dear friend,
> Rita,
>> at Southeastern Guide Dogs.  Information about that service and Rita's
>> wishes for her remembrance will be sent to this list as soon as it is
>> available.
>>
>> Please feel free to send this message to your friends who knew Rita and
>> were, like all of us, the beneficiaries of her friendship, expertise,
>> commitment to the guide dog movement and overwhelming kindness.
>>
>> I will close this note with two personal experiences i had with our
> friend,
>> Rita.  When my husband, Frela, was fighting his own personal battle with
>> cancer, Rita's friend, David, at Rita's request, was one of the wonderful
>> volunteers who drove Frela and me to Moffitt.  David and Frela became 
>> good
>> friends and being with him brought Frela much comfort.  Many times, David
>> used Rita's car for this purpose.  Soon after Frela's death, although 
>> Rita
>> was herself fighting cancer, she and David took me out to dinner and we
>> spent a delightful afternoon together.  At that dinner, Rita gave me a
>> beautiful memory that I will cherish always.  During the previous
>> Thankstgiving, when it was David's turn to give thanks, he gave thanks 
>> for
>> the opportunity of knowing my husband.  I will always carry the memory in
> my
>> heart of Rita's voice as she shared that precious private family moment
> with
>> me.
>>
>> When I, as event coordinator for Top Dog 2011, asked Rita to bring us her
>> excellent canine first aid program, she said "yes" without hesitation.
> When
>> her family asked her what she wanted for Christmas last year, she asked
> them
>> for funds that she added to those generously provided by Southeastern
> Guide
>> Dogs to purchase the first aid kits that we who attended Top Dog 2011
>> received.  By January of this year, Rita was gravely ill.  David and her
>> family were anxious to get her to Chicago where her family lived and 
>> where
>> it was hoped she could receive more expert medical attention.  Rita
> refused
>> to go until after Top Dog.  She said that Top Dog 2011 would probably be
> the
>> last guide dog event that she would attend and participate in and she
> wanted
>> to give all of us this last gift.  Rita came to us riding a scooter and
>> brought to us her excellent canine first aid presentation and her 
>> terribly
>> compelling and amusing anecdotes as a puppy raiser during the puppy 
>> raiser
>> panel.  Rita remained with us for the entirety of the conference and
>> although she must have been exhausted, she and David gave a Southeastern
>> student a ride to the school from orlando.  That's just who Rita was.
>>
>> There are no words to describe how much Rita will be missed by all of us
> who
>> work a Southeastern guide dog and by the many other guide dog handlers 
>> who
>> were touched by Rita's warmth, kindness and generous heart when they met
> her
>> during various conferences at which she represented our school.
>>
>> Please remember Rita's friend, David and her daughter in your thoughts 
>> and
>> prayers.
>>
>> Until we remember Rita's life formally, I know that each of us will
> remember
>> her privately in our own way.
>>
>>
>> Respectfully,
>>
>>
>>
>> Debbie Grubb
>> debbiecg at verizon.net
>>
>>
>>   _____
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Gduf-l mailing list
>> Gduf-l at emissives.com
>> http://emissives.com/mailman/listinfo/gduf-l_emissives.com
>>
>>
>>
>>   _____
>>
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>
>
>
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