Darcy and Chris - August 11, 2001

Darcy and Allyson, August 11, 2001
[ Edna Valley Vineyard ]

A L L Y S O N N O R E E N S T I L L [1973-2002]

On August 20, 2002, we lost a very close and dear friend of ours, Allyson Still. She was one of my very best friends, and we are shocked at her death, but I am glad to have had the chance to spend quality time with such an awesome and special person.


	Darcy & Allyson at The Grid, "99

Ally and I had a lot in common, Chris says we're “two peas of a pod”. We are both graduates from the Cal Poly Art and Design Department and enjoyed living on the Central Coast with many of our friends. I didn't hang out with her in college, but Catrina, a mutual college friend (and designer) reintroduced us after graduation while on an art-related camping trip to San Simeon, CA.

After that, we kept in touch every now and then. Eventually, we started working together at The Grid (the same ISP where I met my husband). She was a shy, but very talented designer. Since I am the outspoken one, we made a terrific team. We also went to the gym together, and ate frozen yogurt afterward at Froggie's. Sometimes we would meet for lunch whenever we needed some "creative inspiration" and time away from work. We've gone to movies together and out to dinner with friends at Bon Temps (our favorite Cajun restaurant), bottled our own beer, hung out at the park across the street from my apartment. She also traveled up North with me to see my folks and I took her for a ride in my dad's '27 Model T Roadster. Ally would gladly baby-sit our cat, Sweet pea anytime we went out of town and spoiled her the same way Chris and I did.

[ Click on sketch to enlarge ]

Here's a sketch that I did… in New York City! "The Cross 7th Street Band" featuring the jazz drummer Jimmy Lovelace…

~ Ally (July 2001)

There were many other parts of Ally that made her cool and unique. She loved anything Italian, including traveling to Italy. And she sent many friends this sketch she did last July while in New York City. She dabbled in many things artistic: fine art, photography, videography and poetry, she also loved listening to live music. Ally enjoyed taking Yoga (she even convinced me to go with her once, and it was hard). Surprisingly enough, she was also part of a local African dance group. Chris and I were able to see her perform once with them downtown at the San Luis Obispo Mission. WOW!


	[© 2001 ImageWest Photography]
	Allyson, August 11, 2001 [ Edna Valley Vineyard ]

I am proud to say that Allyson was one of my four bridesmaids in our wedding last August. It meant a lot to me to have her involved in the different aspects of our special event, like the bridal shower. And a week prior to our wedding, 13 people (made up of the majority of our wedding party and a few additional friends) took a road trip in a 15-passenger van to Las Vegas. We went there for both of our bachelor and bachelorette parties and we had such a blast that weekend. We enjoyed a "girl's night out" while we were there, with a ride in a limousine, a visit to a "club" for women, and a night spent dancing at Studio 54. We also spent some time in the sun at the MGM water park. We tried to corrupt her in Sin City, but she just wouldn't have it!

~ ~ ~

One of the last times that I saw Ally, we had a terrific time together. I had come home early (around 11 pm) from celebrating Chris' brother, Sean's 21st birthday. She came over and we watched The Wedding Singer DVD and ate popcorn. We did both the 80's music trivia and "attempted" to do the karaoke on the DVD. Neither of us did very well on "Rapper's Delight" but we laughed pretty hard a couple of times trying to rap anyway. The next night, she met us in line at the Fremont Theatre to see the Midnight showing of Star Wars Episode II, which was also a lot of fun for all of us.


	She was a beautiful woman and a graceful, gutsy dancer.

The reaction of those who knew Allyson well has been a sense of deep personal loss. Some have been devastated and sad to know that she is gone, it has hit many like a ton of bricks. And no one can believe we have lost such a young and wonderful person. Many have made the comments that "she was a beautiful and caring person" and "a very talented designer". Without knowing it, Ally has left her mark on many people; kindness on those who have met her, compassion on those who know her, and love on those who were her true friends. She will be greatly missed by all.

And as Ally would say in closing…

~ ciao

Darcy (Scott) Ryan

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