She Was One of Ours

On December 10, 2001 Laura Forman collapsed and died of heart failure during a rally she had helped organize at the Corps of Engineers office in Huntington. Working for the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC), Laura had organized the event to protest the Army Corps of Engineers' issuing of nationwide permits for mountaintop removal sites. Fox Channel 8 had just interviewed Laura, and continued filming when she collapsed.

For those at the protest, some of whom administered CPR to Laura, it seemed like paramedics took a long time to arrive. The paramedics shocked Laura's heart 3 times. She never appeared to recover. Minutes later, an ambulance arrived to take Laura to Cabell Huntington Hospital. The emergency staff worked for about a half an hour, but could not revive her.

She was in perfect health, had clean arteries and was a non-smoker. Her doctor, interviewed later, noted she had no health problems whatsoever that might lead you to think this could happen. Laura had not complained about being sick. An autopsy revealed scar tissue in her heart, apparently from an old injury or illness. Laura was 39 years old, had one son, Donald, 5, and husband Mike. Laura had two sisters and a brother, and was originally from Schenectady, New York. She moved to the Huntington area in 1992, when Mike’s job as an air traffic controller brought them to West Virginia. She fought fiercely to protect her adopted state and would have wanted us all to do the same.

Remembering Laura

"Hi, I’m Laura Forman’s husband."

That introduction never failed to light someone’s eyes up—and I must have said it at least 1000 times over the past seven years.

I’m overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of heartfelt love that has reached me, and those around me, the past few days. I’m eternally grateful, and I fear I will be unable to thank each and every one of you individually. The best I can do at this point is spend some time celebrating Laura’s life by sharing it with you.

If you knew Laura then you must have known she loved:

-- Her family & her pets (Rags misses you!);

-- Being a mommy—she took motherhood seriously;

-- Her friends;

-- Animals;

-- Her work.

Here are some things you may not have known Laura also loved:

-- Chocolate! (Holl’s milk chocolate truffles were her favorite);

-- To travel—Laura’s dream trip : An African safari;

-- A good book—Laura’s favorite authors were Denise Giardina, Barbara Kingsolver, Rachael Carson, and Wendell Berry;

-- Having a favorite dish at a great restaurant—Polla Pomidora at Rocco’s, Chicken Tandoora at Nawab, Beef Wellington @ Laury’s, and the Vegetarian #6 @ Rio Grande;

-- An honest-to-God liberal—bless you Ken Hechler;

-- Being Home;

-- The Simpsons;

-- Cleveland Amory;

-- Gourmet ice cream—Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia, and Edy’s Grand Lite Chocolate Fudge Mousse;

-- Animal lovers;

-- A good bottle of red wine ­ Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Valpollicella with pasta;

-- Mahalia Jackson;

-- Potpourri;

-- Picking out clothes for Donald to wear in the morning;

-- Old movies—the older and sappier the better. Among her favorites: "It’s a Wonderful life"; "To Kill a Mockingbird", and Alfred Hitchcock;

-- Bed & Breakfasts;

-- Mozart—she loved his Divertimento in D (she first heard it in "Out of Africa"), his Clarinet Concerto and his Piano Concertos most;

-- Roller coasters;

-- Poetry ­ Alice Walker, Walt Whitman, & her sister Lynn were her favorite poets;

-- Jimmy Carter;

-- A night out with the girls;

-- Boston ­ the city, not the band;

-- Bob Dylan;

-- Christmas;

-- Reading to Donald right before bed;

-- Art ­ Laura was a member of the Huntington museum of Art. Her favorite museum was the Guggenheim in Manhattan;

-- Tchaikovsky’s Symphony #6 "Pathetique";

-- Otters;

-- Taking pictures ­ Laura was an avid (published) photographer;

-- Outdoor markets;

-- Mel Gibson;

-- Chinese take out with the family;

-- Martin Luther King, Jr.;

-- Scary movies;

-- West Virginia ­ Blackwater Falls, Dolly Sods, Canaan Valley, Cranberry Glades, on top of a mountain in the southern coal fields, the New River, Brooks Mountain, Coolfont, the Greenbrier Valley, and Salt Rock;

-- Doing stuff in bed ­ reading, paying the bills, shopping online with her laptop, & snuggling. This was Laura’s favorite place to watch a movie;

-- John Lennon - I’ll never be able to listen to Happy x-mas (War is Over) without thinking of you sweetheart;

-- Eating out on the porch;

-- Dried Flowers;

-- Jessye Norman;

-- Buying gifts for family and friends;

-- The X-Files;

-- Granny D;

-- Antique Furniture;

-- Watching a movie in an old 20’s style movie theatre;

-- Breastfeeding Baby Donald;

-- Cornucopia;

-- Food cooked on the grill;

-- Sailing ­ we dreamed of touring the Galapagos Islands by sailboat;

-- Any Day Now;

-- Alaska;

-- Robert Redford;

-- Going to the Symphony;

-- California;

-- Camping out in a tent;

-- Hanging plants;

-- 60 minutes ­ the piece on mountaintop removal (that she helped put together) was one of Laura’s proudest moments;

-- Hibachi style Japanese food;

-- Pottery;

-- Lois Gibbs;

-- Looking good ­ I can’t remember a time when she didn’t;

-- A big bowl of cereal;

-- Scotland;

-- Georgia O’Keefe;

-- Shopping by catalog;

-- The power of e-mail, and the internet;

-- Enya;

-- Hiking in the woods;

-- Yoga & meditation;

-- Jane Goodall;

-- Russia ­ Laura attended an international conference in Siberia (Irkutsk) a few years ago;

-- Candlelight Vigils;

For those close to us (who were engulfed by her loving spirit), we’ll always remember that she loved what she stood for. If you ever wanted to see someone "walk the walk," all you had to do was spend some time with Laura—at work, at home, at play. Laura was 24/7—zealous and incorruptible. She didn’t back down—in fact, she sent the bullies running for cover. She was a bad-ass, king of the jungle, watch out or I’ll scratch your eyes out, lioness. She was a pussycat.

It was an honor to be loved by Laura, and I am so lucky to have been her man for 22 of her 39 years. My job was to try every day to fulfill her sacred trust. I often failed miserably, but I never dreamed of being anywhere except by her side. For me, that meant sucking it up from time to time and begging her forgiveness. I’m not ashamed to admit that. It’s been a humbling, gratifying, wonderful ride and I can’t believe it’s over.

Laura, my darling, you made me a better person—you blessed me. I will miss you desperately—every day.

Now I will continue to teach Donald Roy what Laura taught me: The Big Picture. The 3 R’s—Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Protect Mother Earth. Think globally and act locally. Love animals and remember that all living things deserve respect and protection. Demand social justice. Stand up for the oppressed. Curse out the bad guys—to their faces, on their home turf. Tell it like it is. Give back more than you take. Make a difference. Love your friends. Let your hair down—not your guard. Walk the walk.

We’ll pick up the pieces and endeavor to continue Laura’s sacred work. That’s what Laura would have expected. May Laura’s life and love serve as an inspiration to us all.

Mike

Mike and Donald Forman
6 Church Hill Lane
Salt Rock, WV 25559