late 1960s NY
1999, Topeka KSBakk, Whistle, Lana
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late 1960s NY
1999, Topeka KS
Lana
Bakk passed away on June 14, 2000 of complications from breast cancer.
Soul
Searcher by classmate Dick McCoy
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
6/14/00
A
message from Lana's husband: Lana passed away this morning about 5:00am; she was
comfortable and her passing was peaceful. We
spend the last
few
days taking turns sitting with her and she knew she was loved by you all.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
6/6/00
From
Lana's husband, Kal: She's tough, a real fighter. But she hit a plateau today in
her improvement
and
I'm planning on bringing the boys home in the next few days.
She's not as optimistic in this fight as she was earlier this year
and it could be a matter of weeks.
She's mentioned she's been catching up with folks, but she's pretty
modest about herself. Lana's roots
have always been in teaching, even after she left
the
profession.
The one person everyone looks at when you think of not having an
enemy in the world. In Louisville
she got involved with adult
literacy,
and kids with disabilities (facilitated communications).
When we moved to Kansas she hooked up with the folks at Capper
Foundation and volunteered, worked with a lot of kids with cerebral palsy.
Lana has
more
friends than Carter has liver pills; its stunning.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
6/6/00
From
husband, Kal: People talk about me being the king of networking, but she gathers
friends without trying, puts me to shame. Her sons are tremendous
young
men.
Scott runs a restaurant and always has a disabled kid come in, full
pay, and roll the silverware and napkins.
David was an A student, student athlete, youth minister, and found
time to volunteer at a soup kitchen, while in high school.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
5/21/00
After
I was diagnosed in 97 I started journals for each of my sons and Kal.
I wrote of memories, feelings, and also gave the boys some opinions and
advice
on various subjects and milestones they would reach in their lives.
I don't know how I could be more prepared to die!! :-)
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
5/20/00
In
1965 I was attending college - David Lipscomb in Nashville. It is run by the church of Christ. Russ (first husband) also went there and we dated off and
on
all through college.
My parents were planning to move some time after the start of the
school year and I didn't want to change schools just for a few months.
Home
for me was not a happy place anyway - way too many restrictions and
responsibilities.
All I needed to get a high school diploma was Sr English so I took
it in summer school at UE High. I
remember Melody Lambert was in
that
class also.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
5/16/00
Russ
and I divorced and I came back to Louisville while he moved on to Nashville (his
hometown). I worked at a computer
sales store.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
5/15/00
I
don't think I will ever draw a breath again without being thankful!
I feel well enough to
dance (at least once or twice) at David's wedding - hopefully this will last
until October and then on into January so I can hold Scott
&
Kate's baby, my first grandchild.
I'm optimistic, but feel a few more weeks have to go by to be sure
the treatments I am getting will continue to work. I
get
Mitomycin C every three weeks (an antibiotic given like chemo in large doses).
My history has been about 3 months for treatment to work before
cancer becomes resistant and advances again.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed and
continuing
to pray - thankful for this day and feeling good, hopeful for many more.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
5/1/00
I'll
have to look for pictures. There is
one on the internet of me bald when I was going through chemo.
My face is very bloated from steroids.
I bought 2 wigs before losing my hair on the advice of lots of
people but found that "it just wasn't me" so I quit hiding what the
disease and treatment
does
to people and just wore a ball cap - had one that said "Bad Hair Day"
on it.
My hair used to be
very, very thick and slightly coarse and wavy.
Now it is fine as baby hair, straight as a string and much
thinner.
It covers my head so I won't complain.
I am not my hair and my hair is not me.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
4/28/00
During
our Junior year I remember most stopping by Palma Longo's homeroom to talk to
her each morning before going on to our own homerooms.
Miss Longo was a great listener and one of few we accepted advice
from (like all teenagers we knew it all).of few we accepted advice from (like
all
teenagers
we knew it all).
I recall JFK's assassination took place that year.
I was in study hall when Bob Campbell came in and asked the teacher
monitoring if he had heard the
announcement.
During the last period of the day we listened to details over the
PA system and knew before going home that the president died.
I married Russ Kennedy from Endicott after graduating from college
with a BA in Elementary Education. We
moved to Atlanta, GA where I taught school
for
3 years.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
4/28/00
Russ
went into the Navy and we lived in Pensacola, then Rosevelt
Roads, Puerto Rico. When he
got out, we moved to Louisville, KY were I lived for 25
years.
We had two sons and divorced after 16 years of marriage.
I went to work in data processing for an insurance holding company
called Capital Holding, later known as Providian and then merged with AEGON.
While working in a
user support area in 1987, I met and then married Kal Bakk. Our family grew with
the addition of his 2 children, a son and daughter. Kal
and
I moved to Topeka, KS a year and a half ago.
My life today is consumed with fighting breast cancer.
I was diagnosed in Jun 97 and went through the initial treatments
including a very agressive
chemo
regimen.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
4/28/00
We
had hopes that would give me a long remission, but unfortunately it only lasted
18 months before recurrence in my bones and now lungs. After a
recent
hospitalization the Dr said I had 2-8 weeks to live.
I'm gradually improving with a goal of proving him wrong.
My youngest son is marrying in October and I want to be here.
Having cancer has taught me to live each day to its fullest and to
appreciate all that life has to offer. Time
is our most precious commodity and how we
spend
it is important.
Commentator:
Bakk
,
Whistle
,
Lana
4/25/00
No,
I am not in the yearbook. Actually
I never graduated - my parents were moving from Vestal to Maine, NY and I didn't
want to change schools mid year
so I just took English in summer school at the end of our
Junior year, got a diploma and went on to college. I would have graduated with
the class of '65. I
hope
that doesn't exclude me from the group.
I have two sons. Scott Kennedy (28) is married and lives in
Columbus, Ohio where he manages a Romano's Macaroni Grill.
David Kennedy (25) is a mechanical engineer with a small firm that
designs hardware and software for NASA to be used on the shuttle and space
station.
After 24 years of living in Louisville, KY, I now live in Topeka,
KS with my best friend and husband of 12 years, Kal.
Commentator:
Corpron
,
Corpron
,
Carren
6/16/00
Still
rocked with the news of LANA'S passing. To have so recently reconnected and to
have enjoyed and learned so much only to have it all gone so
soon.
I assume their was a reason to have connected with her if only briefly.
Commentator:
Corpron
,
Corpron
,
Carren
6/10/00
I
think that Lana (Whistle Bakk)) and Micky Toole and the Keys sisters hung out
together
Sue Stratton and Carol Lane 2 more 65'ers who lived near me. Sue
Stratton Very Sexy, Very popular.....Hung out with each other and Judy
Coolbaugh, and
Lana
Whistle I think.
Commentator:
Corpron
,
Corpron
,
Carren
6/8/00
I
took a deep breath when I saw the e-mail from Kal! I had heard from Lana just
before I left for Utah. She was so up beat and i thanked her for the VERY
WORTH
WHILE gift ideas for those we love.
( we all are here by special invite and can be called away anytime.
)
When we know the time table we are more carefull with our time. I
always say I'll get to that later, I have decided to take better care of time .
It is a gift. Lana showed me that. I am still hopeful she will once
again prove them wrong. I know she was hoping to meet her grandchild.
Commentator:
Loupret
,
Gaskill
,
Marjorie
6/14/00
I'm
sorry to hear about Lana. No one
should have to suffer with things like cancer.
I don't remember her from school so we may not have been in the same
classes,
but it was nice reading about her.
She seems like she was a very strong person, someone I would have
liked to have known.
It was a nice memorial that Dick McCoy sent to everyone.
When a classmate dies it makes you think about your own mortality.
Commentator:
McCoy
,
n/a
,
Richard
6/14/00
Thanks
for letting me know about Lana's passing; as a recent addition to this page, I
never got to voice my memories of her ... I think someone said, "the
face
of an angel", and that says it all
Now she is truly with the angels, and while we are sad for her
family and us that she's gone from our world, we can rejoice with her that she
now sings with
the
angels, free forever from pain and suffering.
I think that the words that she wrote in her writings on the web
are poignant, and I for one am going to take to heart (and action) what she
advises
Commentator:
McLean
,
n/a
,
Rich
8/21/00
In
a note to Joanne S.Just finished reading "Tuesday with Morrie". It was
a book that Lana wanted me to read last spring before her final battle; one she
said
was very dog-eared in her library and highly marked up. I can see now so much of
Morrie in Lana…
He had a wonderful philosophy, and Lana shared and amplified it for
us. "In order to live you had to know how to die"... and Lana knew how
to die. She
had
several years to prepare. Us? We should prepare today, shouldn't we?
In everything we do... because indeed we could die today... we have
no guarantee. Will we prepare? Really? Maybe... not as extensively as Lana
prepared,
but
I think in the little things we think, do and say to others... trying to give
not take.
That's a legacy of Lana and Morrie to us.
Commentator:
McLean
,
n/a
,
Rich
7/7/00
Got
this nice letter with a couple "now and then" pics from Kal. Will put
the pics to the Web page this weekend. Here's the letter:
Per your email this past weekend please find two pictures of Lana
to use for your project. I believe the black and white photo is from the 1960s
and may be
a
college graduation photo. The color wallet photo is from a sitting she arranged
in our home
this past Christmas. As you can see, it's the same smile even after
30 years; if you need biographical information for your project please feel free
to email
me.
She spoke often of "Bonnie" from her early years in
Endicott, and I remember some stories about the "Post" family as well.
I don't remember if the two are
one
in the same, but if you have contact with people from her years there, please
pass along
the unfortunate news of her passing. Please return the photos at
your leisure after you have completed the scan; thanks. Kal Bakk
Commentator:
McLean
,
n/a
,
Rich
5/20/00
Lana
has prepared some very poignant
reflections on preparing for the second leg of life's journey:
http://www.cancerlynx.com/metastatic_to_do.html
Commentator:
Moyer
,
Douglass
,
Bonnie
5/20/00
I've
been in contact with her the last couple years, since she was diagnosed with
breast cancer. One of her brothers married my cousin & I'd gotten info
on
her thru the years from my cousin
then contacted her myself when she got sick, since I had gone thru
chemo/raciation for Hodgkin's Disease in 1992.
Sounds like she's really fighting since learning she's going to be
a grandmother the end of this year
Commentator:
Sorber
,
Spohn
,
Joanne
6/16/00
I've
been thinking about Lana all week...and the effect that our words have hope,
more joy in living AND death, and more reason to live each & every day
to its fullest than any of the "great writings" that I
have read. I know that she is with the Lord, but so much of her is still here, and will continue to be as
long
as we can remember.
What a truly
great" lady."....in the real sense of the word.
Commentator:
Sorber
,
Spohn
,
Joanne
4/27/00
Thanks
so much for forwarding Lana's note...God bless her....she's still the lady she
always was...one of the genuinely nice people who grace this earth
with
their presence, and make it a nicer and more pleasant place to live.
Brian said that Mike Johnson was always crazy about her. I don't
think she ever had an enemy in the world.
She was just beautiful in a very sweet way......not glamorous, but
the face of an angel & a smile to match.......and she was so sweet that no
one was even
jealous
of her.
go
to next classmate: next
classmate