"It's Gonna Be Great!" (part 3)

Oh yeah, so I haven't really mentioned that MB was famous for her dancing. It wasn't that she was this amazing, professional dancer. She just loved to dance. She danced like no one was looking at every opportunity. It didn't matter if anyone else was dancing with her. So, it was universally agreed that a dance party would follow the memorial and that it would be the best damn party in the history of dance parties. Two bars opened their doors for her. One was the Del Rio, a famous Ann Arbor bar that had closed ("but will reopen tonight from 4-7 for food, and then close again") where MB had worked for years and years. The other was the 2nd Ward, a building between tenants, but the owners waived the security deposit and offered to host a dance party til midnight. And oh what a dance party. Dave's band as well as lots of other local artists rotated in and out all night to keep the party hopping. They wrote a stupendous song about Aunt MB dancing that was played at least twice. The floor of the place bounced 6 inches up and down with the weight of the hundreds of dancers and partyers. At one point, the party spilled into the street and cars driving by honked and cheered. One driver asked, "What are you guys dancing about?" and a giddy dancer replied, "It's a wake!"
Lots of people approached the twins and I, some with cool advice and stories, others drunk and less cool but still well-meaning, and some just plain creepy
("Your aunt would dance like this." -creepy dude
*dance dance dance* -me
"Then she would do this." -creepy dude
*dance dance dance*-me
"Then she would dance *sexy*!"
"Ok, peace dude." -me)
The entire midwest environmental activist community was there. The woman who shut down Love Canal came! A lot of people knew my canvass director (which was nice since I missed work all week) and talked to me about conference, being a canvasser, working for the environmental movement, and "when are you coming to Ann Arbor?!". Someone is mailing me a pair of yellow converse all-stars made in America. =D I have a fanclub. MB has a HUGE FUCKING fan club.
Some other favorite moments:
-Uncle John dumping a plate of jelly beans from the bar's second floor window onto people on the sidewalk.
-Aunt Marnie dancing on a table and almost getting her hair stuck in a ceiling fan.
-Karlyn and Claire leading the dancing from the center of the room.
-Uncle John's beer cup label: "Doyle -3 left"
-Dave joining the band to play.
I had a truly amazing conversation with my Uncle Al (uncle owl! hoo hoo!) who isn't really my uncle but everyone who was a friend of my aunts and uncles became an aunt or uncle when I was growing up. I was practically raised by a co-op of college-aged kids, but anyhoo... Al had a conversation with me about figuring out the future which was a conversation I was planning on calling Aunt Mary Beth this week to have. It was really cool, and a little eerie, but mostly cool and helpful. Thanks MB. =)
There isn't much else to say. I will try and post articles to help anyone who wants to understand what a truly special person, amazing activist, and giant fun spirit my aunt was. It has been a fucked up week. She truly believed she could change people's ways of thinking, and she often did. Dave said that his dyed red family was so moved by the memorial and by what she worked to do, that, "I really think there may have been a conversion."
This morning, while the Doyle clan picked at hotel waffles, Uncle John finally asked, "Why is it that whenever there's a really fun funeral that everyone loves, someone in our family had to die?"
I agree. What the fuck? Someone else needs to put the fun in FUNeral. =D
In conclusion, the shout-along chorus to the band's song about Aunt Mary Beth:
"Who's that girl, dancing like there's nobody watching....
Who's that girl!
(MARY BETH!)
Who's that girl!
(MARY BETH!)"
I love you Aunt Mary Beth, and the world is less sparkly and friendly without you with us.