Obituary--Ann Mygatt

[Gregory Matthews]

NOTE:  I do not know Ann Mygatt.    But, somehow I found this obituary interesting.   I thought some of you might also find it interesting.

 

Ann Mygatt (1942 - 2020) - Obituary

Hi Everyone! If you are reading this, I've probably "left the building".

I came into this world ready to make my mark on Sept 16, 1942, in Chappaqua, New York. My parents were Ruth & Elliot Bliss. Elliot took the train into New York every day where he made a living for himself as a bond trader on Wall Street. Ruth made a home for us in Chappaqua, until we all left the nest and she got her pilot's license and took to the air barnstorming around America. I had three brothers-Billy, Eddie, and Jon. Billy & Eddie have already passed on. Billy, my hero, left us when I was a little thing: I never quite got over that one. I am hoping to see him on the other side. We have a lot of catching up to do. My younger brother Jon is a saint, putting up with his mean older sister. Jon, I love you and if we could do it over, I would be a lot nicer. You married well with Julie and made me a happy aunt with Billy & Sally. I didn't get to spend enough time with Eddie's kids. Lamar, I am glad you made it out to Colorado and we had a little time together.

I was too young to be in the Greatest Generation and too old to be a Baby Boomer. My group was called the Silent Generation. If ever there was a misnomer, at least as it applied to me, that was one.

Chappaqua was a great place to grow up and is home to some of my favorite memories. I graduated from Horace Greeley High School in 1960. I kept in touch with some of my classmates and went to the well-attended reunions whenever I could. My regards to everyone who is still kicking. I will say hello to the ones on this side for you. Gay, I will especially miss you; I will say Hi to your Mom-and my second Mom-when I see her.

Chappaqua is also where I met Bruce Mygatt, my high school sweetheart. After high school I went to Middlebury to make my mark. I was a bit of an underachiever in everything but socializing; back then party was a noun, not a verb. Despite going to different universities, Bruce and I could not leave well enough alone and got married June 9th, 1962.

After getting hitched we took Horace Greeley's advice, not that advice about not drinking or smoking, but the "Go West" one. Bruce & I packed up and moved to Montana where I finished my undergrad degree and, more importantly, brought Chris into the world January 23rd, 1963, on a freezing cold Montana night. I could tell right off that Chris was going to be handful. He was as good at solving problems as he was at making them. I love you Chris and have always been so proud of you.

Between Montana and Boulder, Colorado, we moved to Portland Oregon, where Brian was born on March 26th, 1966. Brian don't tell Chris, but you were always my favorite. I gave Chris the Volkswagen, so he would think he was my favorite. You were also the best roommate I ever had, sorry husbands, but true. I always bragged to people that if Brian borrowed your saw, it would come back sharper than when you lent it to him. Brian, you always improved what you touched.

Chris and Brian, one of the best things about both of you was who you chose to marry. Thank god neither of you married someone like your mom. Marcee, you were exactly what Chris was missing and needed to make a fairy tale life come true. I will never forget when little Lindsey made her appearance, also on a cold winter day, just like her dad Chris did. Lindsey, you were so enthusiastic and happy, and my heart ached because I thought that you might lose that as life went on, but you didn't. You are a miracle in my world. I had always wanted to take you to Vegas where I could make a proper craps player out of you.

Jennifer, I don't know how Brian managed to snag you, but we are all very lucky he did. You are a force of nature with a will as strong as the granite carved out of the quarries of New England where you were raised. I think Jordan inherited that from you. Jordan, I have always admired you and I am going to miss seeing everything you will be doing and who you are becoming. You will do great things on whatever stage you choose. But what really fills my heart is to see how gentle you are with Jackson. Jackson, my strong man, you show more courage everyday than most of us ever have a chance to. I will be looking out for you every day from where I am.

Bruce & I had a rather good run and we made wonderful kids and some great memories. I used to tell some of my clients who were troubled by going through their divorce: "He will make a great first husband." That is so true in your case. You are a great father as well. I know you are not supposed to like your ex-husband's wife, but Karen, you and Bruce are so good for each other. I know I didn't say that, but I noticed.

Once I was single again in the mid 80's I decided to make something of myself. I applied to several law schools and the University of Wisconsin Madison won. I got my degree and met Mike Stone. Stoney was a quick-witted reporter at the time and would have fit right into Dorothy Parker's round table. We got married and moved back to Boulder. Even though we eventually broke up, Stoney, you remained a dear friend for the rest of my life. You did write me out of your novel when you got mad at me, but at least you kept our dog Corkey in the story.

After moving back to Boulder, I joined the DA's office as a deputy DA. God, I loved the badge that came with the job. That was an amazing time in my life, so many lifelong friends and even an enemy or two. I loved going to trial and met some of my closest friends while prosecuting their clients. After leaving the DA's office I went into private practice, where I put more people in jail as a defense attorney than I ever did as a prosecutor. I was a founding member of Edwards, Terrill & Mygatt, PC. & Wesson, the first all-female law firm in Boulder (possibly even Colorado). It was big headlines back then. We did some great things together and I am proud to have been in the practice with such great women.

From my Boulder base, I continued exploring the world, sometimes alone and sometimes with friends. I met great people and had unforgettable experiences. I will always remember taking a ride in an ultralight over the African savannahs and my heart was so full that I thought, I could die right now, and it would be fine. I never got to the Arctic or Antarctica. I always wanted to see those polar bears and penguins up close. Oh well, maybe next time.

I practiced law for quite some time and got a chance to be President of the Boulder County Bar Association. I came out of retirement to pursue a dream about a place where people who represent themselves come to get some insider advice. I called it "The Boulder Law Shop." In my last case, my client took herself to the Colorado Supreme Court and won! A good time to bow out. I am proud that one of our staff attorneys, Bruce Wiener, went on to start "Bridge to Justice" law firm, helping those who can't qualify for free legal services but can't afford an attorney.

I loved practicing law and I loved all the people in it-all of them: attorneys, judges, cops, clients, professors. It meant something to me to be an attorney and to be part of the system of justice, as flawed as it may be. It made me a better person. If it is true that you can judge someone by their adversaries, then looking at all of you I have faced across the room, I will be well judged.
Oh, I cannot forget my stint with the Boulder Land Use Coalition. What a sweet ruckus we made! Mark, who could ever forget you filibustering the county commissioners? I can imagine the Boston Tea Party felt a lot like we did.

In 1990, I met Greg Pavlich and his daughter Nina. We were friends for a number of years before we got involved. Both of us had a spotty relationship record and we thought it best to be friends rather than flotsam in the wreck of a relationship. We took our time getting to know each other. We talked and talked. We kept talking and eventually got married in March of 1995. I got to learn about daughters by having Nina in my life. I took a $1.00 retainer from her, so she could have someone to talk to without worrying about me telling Greg. Nina, I watched you go from a four-year-old girl to the amazing woman you have become and now a mother yourself. I never got to hold little Marco, but I know he will be in great hands with you and Michael.

As with most people who develop Parkinson's, my body developed a mind of its own. Greg, I do not think you knew what you were getting into when we had coffee in 1991 and I told you that my doctor said I had Parkinson's. If you did, you would have run for the hills. I appreciate everything you did to keep me going. Don't let the ending tell our story. We had so many great "too stupid to live" adventures, like when we ran with the elk. Remember those moments in time when you think of me.

In terms of the souls I have encountered along the way, I have been blessed with an embarrassment of riches. It is cliché to say there are too many to name, yet in my case it is true. If you are one of those with whom I shared my life: "Thank you for being part of my journey. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me."

There are many people who have been with me for a while and probably know me as much as any one can and still be my friend. So, I am going to make a few exceptions to not naming names.

The first is the Longmont Bridge Club. I was always so proud to be part of the club. You were my sisters; I will love you always. I'll say hi to Dee Dee for you all.

Then there is Paul, you went before me, I am looking forward to seeing you. Thanksgiving hasn't been the same without you. Kay, I'll give him a hug for you and the kids.

Rich, please toast me at your New Year's event. I'll miss our party.

And last in order, but not importance, is Heather. Heather, thank you for being in my life and, as the kids say now, being "my person." I cannot imagine what my life would have been without you in it.

Looking back, I loved my whole life. The ups & downs, the wins and the losses, the wild rides and the quiet moments. If I could do it over again, I would.

Nina once asked me what my mission was as a lawyer, I told her "to stand up to bullies." I did, and I had a blast doing it. I think I even gave Parkinson's a run for its money. Greg said he was going to put on my tombstone "You're Not the Boss of Me" but I would rather he just put one word on it in bold capital letters "LIVE."

Ann passed away Saturday night August 23, 2020 at Golden West senior community; she left quickly without fear, pain or anxiety and with eyes open for the next adventure.

Published in The Daily Camera (Boulder Colorado) on Oct. 25, 2020.

 

Sent from my iPhone

[Dr. Shane]

Thanks for sharing.