Elena Alba Vestri

Over the last few days, I´ve been thinking of all the wonderful things about Elena and how to express them here. Gretchen´s beautiful obituary was a perfect tribute and I have been at a loss as to what to add. Then yesterday I was watching an interview with the actress Jane Burkin, who died last week. She was speaking of her daughter´s death and I thought her words so well-expressed how I felt about Elena that I´ll repeat them:

"She was irreplaceable, and the lack of her will be forever."

Rest easy Elena. We love you.

A mia cugina Elena,
non pensavo che questo momento sarebbe arrivato così presto e che sarei stata qua a pensare ai momenti passati insieme, sia quando eravamo bambine che da adulte, nonostante vivessimo in Paesi lontani.
Tutto quello che resta di te è racchiuso nei miei ricordi, il tuo bel sorriso, il tuo modo di vedere il mondo ed affrontare la vita, la tua simpatia che diventava serietà nei momenti più duri.
Nessuno può cancellare i ricordi, quelli sopravvivono al tempo e quando non puoi più abbracciare una persona ti permettono di averla ancora vicino a te.
Buon viaggio Elena

I met Elena in Mrs. Lett's 5th Grade class and we bonded immediately - two only children in search of a soul sister. Entering a year end talent show as a dancing duet shaking our 10 year old booties to the "Theme to SWAT" sealed our friendship forever. She was the Starsky to my Hutch, the Gus Gus to my Jack, the Buffy/Kip to my Hildy/Henry and together we made all of those pre-teen and teenage memories that weave someone into the fabric of your soul for a lifetime. Pictures of her dot scrapbooks from every era of my life and even as our paths diverged, we'd take the time to reconnect and support and celebrate each other. Elena blazed her own brave and uncoventional trail in this world even as I always colored inside the lines. She simply amazed and inspired me. Not having her in this world is going to be very hard.
Elena, I love you, I miss you, I thank you... and I know we'll sing "Seaside Rendezvous" again one day. Freddie can join us.

After reading that absolutely wonderful obituary written by Elena's dearest friend Gretchen, with input from many of her other dear friends, I don't know what I could add to that! She was such a loving and intelligent person. I was the only aunt she had. Everyone in Italy are her cousins.

She was only 36 when her father PierLuigi died on 9/11/2001, the same day as the infamous 9-11. She came to Tampa to visit her mother when she was in the hospital right before she died on 12/18/2018. And then almost 3 weeks later she had a severe stroke in the UAE. And now she is reunited in heaven with her mom and dad.

My beloved Elena , words cannot encompass the depth of love and admiration I hold for you. You were the light of my life, my rock, and my confidante. Your presence filled my days with joy and purpose. Now, as I navigate this world without you, the ache of missing you consumes my heart. Your absence leaves an indelible void that can never be filled. But I find solace in knowing that our love was a rare and beautiful gift, one that will forever transcend time and space. Your legacy will live on in my heart, and the cherished memories we created together will be etched in my soul. Until we meet again, my love, know that you will be forever missed and always loved.

Taoufik and family, I cannot capture enough words to express how deeply sorry I am for your loss. Elena was uniquely present in life at a level many never know. Her ability to empathize was truly amazing and her creativity was endless. I loved her like family for many years and had the great fortune to visit her in Dubai many years ago. It is one of my fondest memories. May her memory be for a blessing.