A dear sweet man has died, in the fullness of years after a good life. Arthur Eaton was the husband of my friend and dance teacher Carla De Sola, one of the great liturgical dancers and choreographers in this country and founder of the Omega West Dance Company and earlier, of the Omega Dance Company in New York. (That company is still alive and well at St. John the Divine Cathedral.) A retired social worker, Arthur was a merry soul and he adored Carla and always supported her work. I have fond memories of seeing him on walks with his dog Kelpie (an equally sweet soul) and also of his and Carla's presence at my annual Mardi Gras crêpes bash during my years in Berkeley. He died this past Saturday in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Carla has written friends to thank them for the outpouring of love and care from across the world on this sad occasion. Her letter continues: Your words, phone calls, visits, gifts of food, time and prayer have been unbelievably helpful as we come to terms with the earthly loss of this wonderful man - his spirit, of course, lives and dances.
Arthur's funeral will be held on Sunday, February 24th, at 4:00 P.M. at St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco. Arthur asked that in lieu of flowers, he would appreciate contributions to the Omega West Dance Fund, Center for Religion, Arts, and Education (C.A.R.E.), 2400 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94709. Please contact Margaret Simpson at margaretsimpson@sbcglobal.net if you have any questions regarding the service.
May he rest in peace and rise in glory. And may his and Carla's many friends continue to surround Carla with love and care.
2 comments:
thank you for your thoughts on arthur and carla...it has been many years since i met them, but i was privileged to have been one of the original dancers with the ny omega liturgical dance company, and they have been a part of me since i last saw them in 1978...always loving, always gentle, carla and arthur were an inspiration to live as jesus taught us to...i am delighted to find out that they had so many years together, as i had been invited to their wedding but didn't get the invitation in time due to a mistaken mail delivery...and i have thought of them in many times over the years in gratitude for having known them...of course, arthur is still dancing, and we will all dance again with him one day!! in love and peace, susan malerich
Carla's talents are known to so many in the world, and those of us, including our dearly missed Arthur, were priviledged to have experienced the essence of her gifts...and expression of spirit spoken through dance and in her every waking moment. Carla's love of Arthur and his love of her were central as a way to experience Carla's ability, as a tiny woman, to fill any space no matter the size, with her huge compassionate capacity. I have long known that those of us who know her well are more than blessed to have her in our lives and to have known and loved Arthur as well. Thank you Carla, for all you have given life, may you live long and prosper.
Pepper
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