Gary with Donna
Some people make you smile. A person who strongly exhibited that happy trait, Gary Allison, met another with that ability, Donna Eden, around 2003, and he has been a light in our community since his first class with us. From the stage, we remember him for his bright smile (usually from the front row), for his great sense of humor, penetrating questions, and insightful comments.
Gary originally studied pre-med, became disenchanted with the allopathic approach, first learned about Energy Medicine way back then, and finally found his way to EEM after a long and distinguished career as an attorney. He served in that profession for more than 40 years, specializing in child-related cases. In reflecting on the rewards and highlights of his career, the best was that he felt "honored" to have supported countless children and their families.
Gary was a yoga instructor for 30 years, a lifelong athlete, and he taught about metaphysics and about the Kabbalah. Together, Gary and his wife, Cornelia Krikke, have hiked Machu Picchu, the Annapurna trails in Nepal, and up to Base Camp Everest; toured Lhasa in China; and traveled though India, where they were married in Agra. They also loved Sedona and hiked there often after EEM trainings in Phoenix.
Graduates of the EEM CP and TEEM programs, Gary and Cornelia were being mentored by Lisa Buford in her Spokane Foundations class. Gary taught professionally and lovingly even in times of great pain due to cancer or cancer treatment.
Gary with Cornelia
Writing a personal note to us three weeks after Gary's death, talking about the ways Gary was "unique," "wonderful," "buoyant," "delightful," "loving," and "a strong supporter of EEM" for more than a decade, we were moved to tears by Cornelia's closing words:
"I miss Gary and also feel him close. On his passing, and since, I began to feel the huge container of love that held/holds our love and relationship. The connection feels pre-cellular. The first few days have been absolute physical (and emotional) agony, as if part of me is being torn away. Although my mom and dad have died and several friends have died, I have not experienced this magnitude of loss, or opening, with previous deaths. The experience is evidence of the degree of intertwining I have with Gary."