In Memory of Our Dear Friend
Elayne Urban
In Memory of Elayne Urban...
On Saturday June 28th, HART lost Elayne Urban, a dear friend and
longtime member who put her time where her heart was; in the mission of rescuing
dogs and cats and placing them in wonderful, loving and permanent homes.
Elayne died peacefully among her close friends and family after a long battle
with cancer.
Elayne had been a supporter of HART since it's inception back in
1990 and when she retired from the Foreign Service a few years ago she devoted
herself full time to the efforts for which the organization was founded.
It was a rare week that Elayne was not volunteering 10 to 12 hours a day, doing
homechecks, answering email inquiries, showing dogs to potential adopters and
running around town, doing whatever was needed for the love of the animals.
Elayne transported so many dogs to and from vet visits and
specialist appointments that her mileage rivaled that of a cross country truck
driver. Both her physical and mental energy was devoted to her love of
animals.
Even when she was not running all over town she had her mind on ways to help the
animals, such as creating catchy donation jars and washing red bandanas so that
our dogs would look their best at adoption events. Everyone at adoption
events would look for that large wicker basket that was always overflowing with
clean and crisply folded red bandanas.
And it was Elayne who jumped at the idea of another member to
start up the HART car donation program and proceeded to administer the program,
which continues to bring in critical funds to HART each month. And when Elayne
wasn't running around town with animals, answering emails, doing homechecks or
showing dogs to potential adopters, she was writing all of HART's thank you
letters.
Elayne's true love was for Chows but her devotion for all
animals was unconditional. When HART got a call from a rural Virginia vet
requesting that we take in a 16 year old dog whose owner had died, Elayne rushed
right over and rescued "Sammy" from an inevitable death. Elayne fostered Sammy
and loved him as her own until she found him a forever home with a terrific
woman who became a very good friend to Elayne. And as for Sammy... well he lived
to the ripe old age of 18! (Thank you Rita!)
Even now Elayne would not let us pass up this opportunity to
tell you that HART still has Flash, one of her all time favorite dogs who is
still in boarding and in need of a wonderful home. During her long struggle with
cancer, Elayne never stopped asking about Flash and continued to encourage our
mission to find him a perfect home where he will be loved.
During the last 8 months, while Elayne courageously fought
against cancer, she continued to inquire about the well being of HART's dogs and
cats. She was always buoyed by the news of our adoptions as well as the new dogs
and cats we rescued. Except for news of how her beloved dogs and cats were
doing, particularly her dearest Cal, nothing put a smile on her face more
quickly than hearing that either one of her favorite dogs was adopted or that
HART had rescued another Chow!
A very special thank you to Sandy Scholar, Sharon Bradberry, and Liza Beckner who cared for and loved Elayne's own pets over the past several
months, and to Janet Crist who initially took Cal in (Janet originated the
poignant and funny "letters from Cal" which Elayne -- and her visitors -- so
enjoyed, a practice which Sandy happily and skillfully took over). You found
room in your heart and your home for "friends in
need". All of Elayne's companions have been permanently accepted into your
families and nothing made Elayne happier to know that her loved ones would be in
your trusted care for life.
Those who had the honor of knowing Elayne quickly grew to love
her. She had a quiet presence about her and the stamina of a work horse. And
because Elayne never sought praise or recognition for her work, few knew how
deep her involvement reached into all aspects of our organization and our lives.
Elayne never gave up hope and her gift of courage and grace will
live in all who she touched. As we continue our mission of saving innocent dogs
and cats, let us reflect on our dear Elayne and allow her strength to guide us
through the trials and tribulations before us in our quest for a better life for
all animals.
To our dearest Elayne, may your warmth shine upon us for now and
always.
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