Elizabeth Koerner

Liz Koerner was the rare individual who lived ""an examined life,"" reflecting on what was truly of value in life, pursuing it, often making ""course corrections"" in her own character and direction in order to become the best she could be. Those of us she left behind, ""Liz's Tribe,"" now can only reflect on her remarkable life in hopes of learning from her elegant example of a life well-lived.

Many of Liz's Tribe met for the first time these last weeks as we gathered to say goodbye to our brave friend, sister, daughter and colleague, sharing stories of her kindness, grace and courage. Liz saw the good in people, brought out the best in each of us, and in her presence we felt better about ourselves and the world. Her calm and comforting influence will be sorely missed.

Your absence has gone through me

Like a thread through a needle.

Everything I do is stitched with it's color.

""Separation"" by WS Merwin



Liz was known for her passion for the out-of-doors, for music, her cats, for her beloved husband Jeff, and for her commitment to positive social change. As a producer for Wisconsin Public Tv, she was ideally suited to the research and storytelling required for the job, working tirelessly to make sense of the world and pass that understanding onto others. Never preachy, Liz respected people too much to tell them what to think or what to do.

Many of her Tribe met Liz through her work producing gardening shows (""she was an elegant gardener""), documentaries (""one of our best educators""), concerts (""a musician and director""), social issues (""sorting out the important things in life""), and environmental concerns. She gravitated to interesting people, places and topics, learning as much as she could and applying what she learned to her work and her life.

Her love of the outdoors led her to kayaking the Apostle Islands, and to fall in love with Jeff Trapp, the kayaking guide. Both were people who lived life ""with both hands,"" and fully in the moment, and soon Jeff moved to Madison to join Liz as her life's partner. They married in 1996 for what Liz referred to as ""practical reasons.""

Liz was not one to blindly follow social norms. Actions had to be thought out, had to make sense to her, before moving forward. What made sense was to be kind to others, enjoy life, and to be of good service in this world.

Oh, yeah, then there was cancer. It's easy to forget that 9 years ago Liz found out she had an aggressive cancer, but she never let us dwell on it. A friend wrote on her CaringBridge page (www.caringbridge.org/visit/lizkoerner), ""Always calm and confident and rarely without that smile and bright outlook. It wasn't so much from trying to find silver linings though. It was more that she looked at life through a lens that kept the larger picture of what was important and all that was good in focus.""

Despite her own battle, Liz was the first to come forward and help others with their illnesses, and is famous for passing out scarves to those undergoing chemotherapy, along with the fundamental understanding that ""cancer sucks.""

The cancer diagnosis pushed Liz to rush her own personal to-do list. She and Jeff traveled to Italy, Mexico, Canada, the Grand Canyon, and enjoyed camping trips around the US. When camping, biking and canoeing became too much, they took to long walks and birding. And when the ""emotional baggage of life"" became a burden, she cast off anger and bitterness like so much unwanted 'stuff and clutter' around the house.

What Liz kept was us, her Tribe, and we now realize how blessed we are to have been in her life, to be considered important to this sweet thoughtful person who rejected the trivial and held onto what and who had value. Blessed too because she told us, openly showing her affection, inviting us into her life even in her final hours.

Liz left us as she lived, with dignity and affection for others, consoling us as the dire reality hit home. Jeff admitted, ""I had many of the best moments of my life in the last hours of hers."" She left as some of her favorite music played, just after ""Blowing in the Wind"" and at the beginning of ""Over the Rainbow.""

Liz said she would leave with no regrets, that she had done everything she wanted to do, accomplished all she could, and come to savor and celebrate life. As we now mourn her, and realize how much her quiet strength will be missed, we can only hope to learn from her example, to examine our own lives, to correct what needs correcting, to do what we can to make the world better, to be honest and kind to others. Liz was true to herself, and the great number of friends around her are a testament to her love and a life fully-lived.



To honor Liz in a way she would enjoy, there will be no formal services. Instead, Liz's Tribe is invited to a party celebrating her life... TBA