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From: Kevin Bales
Date: 06 Nov 2000
Time: 01:07:56
Remote Name: 65.3.19.159
I probably haven't seen Wendy in ten years or more, but I remember her smiling as though it were yesterday. In grade school, my best friend Matt lived a few houses down from the Solteros, and Karen, Matt and I were in the same class. Our adventures around Matt's house often included Karen, and Wendy was rarely far behind. I remember Wendy trying to convince us to play some game she had made up, and I told her that she couldn't tell us what to do, because she was just the little sister. She smiled sweetly, and said, "I'm not much littler than you, and I'm not your sister, but I can be the boss." Not knowing how to respond, I played... and she was the boss. I also remember her telling us that she couldn't go on an African safari in the bamboo patch by her house because the bamboo had cut her arm the time before, and her imagination had been broken ever since. Fortunately, that didn't last long. All of my memories of Wendy have two things in common: her expressive eyes and her ever-present smile. Whether telling me about taking her boxer Cimarron and his "girlfriend" up to Baskin-Robbins for his birthday, or relating the story about a giant tree falling on the house, she showed a gift for creativity and communication. I was not at all surprised to learn that she had become an artist and writer. She was a beautiful, wonderful girl, and I am sorry that I never knew her as a beautiful, wonderful young woman. She always displayed a wisdom beyond her years, and a great love for those around her, especially her sister. I am happy to see from these posts that she always maintained these qualities. Karen, Beth, and Gene- please accept my condolences, as well as those of my family and Lyn, but also know how much Wendy touched all of our lives, even as a young girl. Her loving personality will live on, in her family and her friends, and we are all the richer for that.