From Sharon Casey

Dear Maggi,

Thank you for doing this work. I, like many others, have loved Shona dearly for many years.  I find myself heartbroken at this horrible surprise. The funny thing is, seemingly out of the blue, Shona came into my head so clearly on Sunday morning. I was having a conversation with her that went way back in our relationship. I was scolding myself for being such a dufus and recalling Shona's unconditional acceptance of me. I learned of Shona's death on Monday morning.

My deepest sympathies, Sharon

From Marta Cacho Casal

It was pretty clear to me from the start that Shona and I were going to be friends. She had this way of making instantly clear that she wanted to spend more time with you. I was very lucky to spend lots of time with her here in Florence, where we met thanks to the Villa I Tatti. I asked her, 'Did Bologna medieval professors have pictures in their houses?' Shona kept on answering that question over the past few months, every time she found some evidence, she would hurry back to me to tell me and pointed at completely unreadable (to most eyes) documents that proved or not her point. Shona was also my good neighbour and she would often come and pick me up on her crumbling baby-blue bike in order to go to I Tatti together. I relish every second of those twenty-minute walks before getting on Gennaro's mini-bus where we would talk about our lives in Florence, catch up with research progress (or lack of: 'working hard, or hardly working?'-she would ask me), talk about our families, and look forward to lunch. Although Florence is packed with tourists it was not a problem to catch sight of Shona in the crowds- the answer was often purple, which would come in the shape of a hat, a jumper, or a scarf. Shona also loved a bargain, one of the great triumphs was a shearling (which she use to pronounce 'scirling') bottle-green jacket, which she had bought for ten euros in the Cascine market. The jacket was by all standards unsightly, and most certainly a man's model. Shona would often brag about it 'got it for 10 euros, you know'. the jacket joined us on our winter outings, often layered with other trophies from the Cascine: 'this one two euros!' Alina was good at humouring her in her hunt for vintage clothes, and in one of our last visits we got lost in the market of Piazza dei Ciompi where she had acquired an enormous pair of brown plastic clip-on earrings. The last time I saw Shona, she came to my flat to pick up a trolley bag she needed to travel to Namur. Before she rushed down the four-floor staircase, she retraced her steps, in order to give me a big hug. I remember thinking as she left, how lucky I was to have her as a friend.

Marta Cacho Casal

From Karen (Schneider) Parker

Maggi,

I was so sorry to hear about Shona.  My thoughts go out to you and your family.  I have such fond memories of playing with Shona and Ruth when we were little (and I'll try to dig up my first grade birthday party picture).  I hope you find some comfort in your memories.  My love to you and your family.

Karen (Schneider) Parker

From Roisin Cossar

Shona in Florence

Shona was my great friend, my work partner, and a source of support and love to my family, too. We'd been spending the year in Florence, at the Villa I Tatti, working on projects that intersected in several ways. Over the years of our friendship, we talked about the possibility of coming here, but neither of us ever managed we'd actually manage it, let alone in the same year!

I'll have so many memories of her, and I'll have other chances to share those, here and elsewhere, but today I was thinking about how she and my ten-year-old daughter would walk together through the Uffizi, looking rather irreverently at renditions of the Madonna and Christ child. They'd stop in front of a Botticelli, or a Filippo Lippi, or (maybe worst) Lucas Cranach, and critique the artists' renderings of baby heads, baby legs, and baby eyes. I will NEVER be able to go to the Uffizi again without hearing them giggling about the "creepy babies."

Roisin Cossar