Long Lost Longworth
 From Emily's Family Emily Charlotte Longworth: October 14th 1981 – February 3rd 2007 Hello, dear friends / family of Emily… All this week people keep telling us they don’t know what to say - and neither do we. Writing this letter is just completely bizarre. We want to thank you all for your thoughts, your beautiful messages on Emily’s website, your prayers, the visitors we’ve had, the help - we really appreciate it and we know how much more difficult this would be without you. Emily was doing exactly what she wanted to do - travelling around South America with her fabulous friend Lauren, making plans as they went along, living life to the fullest. They went to sleep on Friday, February 2nd at the Blue House Hostel in Punta Arenas, Chile, and just didn’t wake up again. They died in the wee small hours on Saturday morning from inhaling the smoke & fumes of an electrical fire that started in the kitchen below their room. We know they didn’t wake up, because they were lying on top of their passports (savvy travellers!), and the passports were found unharmed. We are so thankful for this evidence that they weren’t aware of the tragedy taking place around them, and also for the fact that their intact identification helped us to be notified as quickly as possible. Emily and Lauren will be cremated together on Monday, February 12th at 1.00pm local time in Santiago, Chile (this is 8:00am on Monday in Vancouver - Emily’s family home). Their ashes will be returned to us here in Vancouver and also sent to Lauren’s family in Sydney, Australia. Emily’s Celebration We are holding “Emily’s Celebration” on Saturday, February 17th in Vancouver. This will be a relatively informal event where people in Emily’s life can come together and share happy memories, hilarious stories, sadness and love. Date: Saturday, February 17th, 2007 Time: 3.00pm until late - Please feel free to arrive when you can (“Open House” style). Location: The Rocky Mountaineer Railway Station 1755 Cottrell St., Vancouver (behind the Home Depot in Vancouver, near Main & Terminal) Alcohol will be served at this event - please plan ahead for a safe ride home. Dress: Whatever you feel like wearing One of Emily’s greatest traits was that she was happiest when other people were happy. Please wear what you feel most comfortable in - Emily would want you to be happy… To Bring: Please email emilys.celebration@gmail.com Emily loved baking crazy cakes for her crazy parties. If you would like to bake for Emily, please send a note to the address above so we can keep track. Please feel free to also bring photos, mementos, anything you’d like to share in celebration of Emily’s life. Although we are requesting donations in lieu of flowers (see below), if you wish to send flowers for the event please send them to the Rocky Mountaineer Railway Station on Feb. 16th or early on the 17th, Attn: Emily’s Celebration Emily’s Fund We have set up a fund in Emily’s honour, and request donations in lieu of flowers. The Emily Longworth “New Teachers’ Creative Activities” Fund will help trainee and new teachers with the financial costs of organizing extra-curricular activities for their students, particularly teachers working at schools in less advantaged areas to help with activities promoting friendship / multicultural understanding / love of physical activity & the outdoors. Donations can be made online at: www.vancouverfoundation.bc.ca/Donate/donateonline.asp (please search for “Emily Longworth” to find her specific fund) Donations can be made by mail to: Emily Longworth “New Teachers’ Creative Activities” Fund Vancouver Foundation Ste 1200, 555 West Hastings St. Box 12132, Harbour Centre Vancouver, BC V6B 4N6 CANADA Emily’s Website Emily and Lauren had websites where they were keeping a diary of their adventures: Emily’s website: www.getjealous.com/dirtyfeet Lauren’s website: www.getjealous.com/lozfromoz Both websites have message boards where friends and family from all over the world have been writing beautiful messages. We have found these messages very uplifting (and often very amusing!). Thank you to everyone who has written, these messages help to dispel the sense of loss by showing us the legacy Emily and Lauren have left us. Sending Cards A family friend has offered to receive cards / letters for us at her office. Please send items to: Emily’s Family c/o Nicola Walter 2397 Marine Drive West Vancouver, BC CANADA V7V 1K9 Friends Around The World Emily’s friends are spread across this planet. If you would like to plan a get-together for Emily in the place where you live, please email emilys.celebration - at - gmail.com to see if we’ve heard from anyone else in that location - to help you reach out and meet other Emily friends you may not already know! Thank You Thank you again, from the bottom of our hearts, for everything you have already been doing to celebrate Emily’s memory. It is such a tribute to Emily that even this most tragic of events can be a time of happiness. Yours sincerely, in loving memory of our smiling, happy, “full-of-life” Emily, Tom, Connie & Katie
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Diary Photos
| 11th Feb 2007 | |
| Map to Emily's Celebration | |
| How to get to Emily's Celebration: Saturday, 17 February, 3.00pm until whenever. Hope you can come! |
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