John Kavelin is in transition with his terminal illness, and his sister, Linda Popov, left a note on “Caring Bridge,” which is site on the net to inform everyone of someone’s illness, joys, challenges, and I thought I would post today’s (April 20, 2009) comment. To describe John would take more than a bucket of words, and my buckets are out today, so suffice it to say, he’s noble, valiant, highly creative, highly loving, giving, and we house sat for him in Pasadena, and the Pasadena Baha’is had the privilege of listening to John and Linda at a fireside at the Nelson’s several months ago.
He has the same kind of brain tumor Ted Kennedy has. John was also the designer of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at Disney, and won awards I believe for his Animal Kingdom in Disney World. He also designed stages, etc. in most major Baha’i conferences. He has a twin Tommie, and a sister Linda, and a brother-in-law Dan. Dan and Linda are living with him in his gorgeous place on Salt Springs Island, called by him Spirit Lodge. So here’s the note: love and prayers to all, and for John and his family. How’d we get so lucky to know them, and for us, in particular, John?
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Dearest Esther,please assure John and Linda and the family of our prayers!!!…it is amazing how – although we have never seen each other, being shortly in email contact thanks to you – i feel so connected to the Kavelin family… It is really undescribable, what it means for me, a Belarusian girl from the Jewish background becoming Bahá’í in Minsk, where Borah Kavelin was born… His life and service and the PATH of his life help me to solve so many personal questions and one of the most painful ones- about the destiny of the Jews – and seeing not only somebody from this backround, but also from Belarus, from my very city, finding to Bahá’u’lláh and serving Him so much helps to heal so many wounds we inherited and to answer the questions of the soul… Through Borah Kavelin i could – and can! – also find personal approach to the Faith, it must feel like if you are born in the town where Dorothy Baker went to school… or as in this book you gave me – “Rebirth” – about this Hungarian Jewish girl Reneé going to bording school in Weimar. This school still exists and an amazing girl wnet their and then became a Bahá’í here – when i borrowed her a book she said – “Now i know WHY!!”Linda and Dan’s Book “Virtue’s Guide” has been THE book of so many of us ever since it was tranlasted into Russian and is a treasure, abd thus there were so many special connections to the Kavelin Family… On all the meeitngs in our Bahá’i Centre, in the assambly room, so many times i lokoed at the picture on the wall – black-and-white, wonderfully elegant and with so much warmth in his heart – Mr. Kavelin… … Once John wrote he would love to come to Minsk and to get to know the city of his father’s birth…and the Baha’i commmunity! What a pity we haven’t organized it… Please let him know that in this city, in this country where the roots grow, Bahá’is know him, love him, pray for him.Thank you so much for conencting people, dearest Esther. What a service! LOVE!
(from Yakov) Dear Friends, this is from John Kavelin's sister, Linda Kavelin Popov: John passed away on Saturday, July 18th at 1:30 PM, through the mercy of God, John gently passed on in the midst of a prayer being said for him in the lovely palliative care suite at Lady Minto. On Thursday, during our last morning devotional time together at Spirit Lodge, he said, “The pull of this world and the pull of the next world are balanced now. I’m half way there. I'm just craving a hand up.”He surprised all the medical folks by living this long, and again he surprised them by dying so quickly – what Dan describes as “quintessential Grace.” I was so thankful the pain and loss of capacity were so short lived, and yesterday I felt pure joy to know he was released and on his way Home. Today the joy and the feeling of being bereft are in equal parts.Twin brother Tommy, and his wife Farahnaz and our niece Zhena as well as my son Craig arrive tonight. Hopefully son Chris will arrive soon after. We will have a private burial with our family and our local Baha’i community on Tuesday. On Friday, we will have a ceremony n to celebrate John’s life. We will send details on Caring Bridge once the venue and time are confirmed for the Celebration.John died as he lived, with gratitude, joy, and wonder. His last three sentences when he occasionally swam to the surface on Thursday were remarkable. He was unresponsive most of the time as I read to him, talked and sang to him. Mid-day or so on Friday I said, “How are you doing, Sweetheart?” not expecting an answer. To my surprise, he said, “I’ve been thinking how lucky we are to be part of an amazing global community that is always on call. Each of our parents made that choice 100 years ago.” He was so grateful for the Baha’i Faith. A couple of hours later, he said, “Linda, I’m so happy you took this journey with me. It was perfect.” He surfaced again briefly when several Baha’i friends stopped by in the evening. One friend joked that it was too bad he wasn’t eating anymore, since she would have made him a blueberry pie. He raised his eyebrows and said something like “You were?!” as if to say, “What’s stopping you?” His last words were, “You guys are a class act.” Again his appreciation shone through.I will send details soon about his celebration on Friday for those of you locally who can attend and know the rest of you will be with us in spirit.With much love and gratitude,Linda (aka The Blue Fairy)
thanks jack in russia; i received that and notified people here but hadn't put it on my blog; how long are you in yakov, not quite sure we know whee it is; we lived in russia, ukraine, Belarus; also; hugs esther