Jack Lenor Larsen was interred at his beloved LongHouse Reserve in a small private ceremony on Saturday, May 15.
His ashes were placed in a shaker box, wrapped in a length of silk, now resting in a spot he chose under a favorite tree by the pond he designed. His longtime gardeners, Bonifacio Rojasand Josue Rojas, dug his deep grave by hand. 30 friends gathered with his life companion, Peter Olsen.
There were four readings: from Helen Drutt a poem, Alexandra Monroe from the Bhagavad Gita, Lys Marigold from the Episcopal Prayerbook. Peter Olsen attempted to read the Auden poem, Funeral Blues, but was too moved to continue past the first stanza. It was finished by his sister. The guests placed dark red rhododendrons blossoms on the grave. It was a deeply poignant ceremony.
The next day more than 300 friends and admirers came to Longhouses for a celebration of Jack’s life hosted by Peter and the Trustees of Longhouse. Dianne Benson, the chairman of their board spoke eloquently.
This is her speech in full:
Everyone standing here on this hallowed ground loved Jack and that truly is the essence of LongHouse. It is wonderful to be among so many like-minded people on this beautiful day and a part of a living breathing organization that was the brainchild of one inimitable man with a vision so strong and so magnetic that he gathered around him people like us. It is our devotion to the man and our appreciation for what he has left us that will drive LongHouse into a vibrant future.
The web of people that he has woven around Longhouse could never be better illustrated than it is today. I thank each and every member of our Team:
- The devoted staff — both in the office and in the garden.
- The many wonderful Committees members: Arts, Education, Garden, Finance, Philanthropy, The Council — all working as one to bring Jack’s extraordinary statement to mankind.
- My Fellow Trustees most of all. We know our work as Trustees has Just begun as Jack entrusted us to carry his torch and that is a big and important weight.
Having had the honor of being the first President of LongHouse — having Jack trust me to be his leader — is perhaps the greatest honor of my life. I share that with Manana Freyre, who was with me in the beginning, and now with Nina Gillman. I could not do it without them.
Each of us had something different that was their bond to Jack — those things they loved in him and that they took from him. For me, I am forever governed by his self-invention — and will never stop dressing for Jack — his eye was even keener than of Bill Cunningham’s — although I’m not sure that he would totally approve of this hat.
I hope all of you — each of us in our individual ways — will continue to carry his spirit into the unpredictable future with that same sense of wonderment curiosity with which he approached life.
But most of all I want to say:
THANK YOU JACK
THANK YOU JACK FOR TRUSTING US
THANK YOU JACK FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE LONGHOUSE AS DYNAMIC IN THE 21ST CENTURY AS YOU HAVE DONE IN THE 20TH
THANK YOU JACK FOR GIVING THIS INCREDIBLE PLACE TO THE WORLD
I LOVE YOU JACK
