My dearest Momo. I’m not sure where to begin or end. I’m thankful that I had the chance to get to know you, to call you friend, big sister even.

I’ll forever remember your smile, your contemplative moments, your sudden bursts of song, your laughter, your passion. Because of you I am better and will continue to walk forward in that pursuit.

Occasionally, I’ll have my own bursts, like the Brewster days: Ma-roooooo-naaaa!
In other moments, I’ll listen to a song and think of you.

I heard this India.Arie song and it seemed like something you might like.

“This Love”
http://www.djbooth.net/index/tracks/radio/india-arie-this-love

This love has been tested
This love has been tried
This love has been questioned
Held to the fire
It has faced stones, the wind and rain

It has been thought to feel some pain
This love has no doubts from certainty
It has no patience in urgency
It has it’s haters, will have it’s fans
Will have it’s freedom and it’s demands

But this love, hold it, hold it
Never get rid of
Hold it, hold it
Oh, never get rid of
Hold it
This love

We’ll have glory, we’ll have shame
We’ll be praised, it will blamed
We’ll have passion, we’ll have it’s purpose
We’ll have it’s prize and it’s all worth it
At times we’ll triumph, at times we’ll fail
It can be heaven, well, it can be hell
It will right, it can be wrong
For the rest of my life I’m gonna sing my song

This love, hold it, hold it
Never get rid of
Hold it, hold it
Oh, never get rid of
Hold it
This love

This love, hold it, hold it
Never get rid of
Hold it, hold it
Oh, never get rid of
Hold it
This love

Marona,

It’s been so long. I still could believe it when I got this news. So glad we got a last chance to meet up 2yrs ago! God knew exactly what he was doing!!! My heart goes out to your family! How I miss our childhood, words can’t even express….I love and will miss you MY FRIEND. Until we meet again,,,

Thank you so much for this web memorial and sharing glimpses of Marona’s childhood and growth into the beautiful young woman who too many us knew only too briefly as a young adult.

I think she was a Vanderbilt student when I met her along with her sister and brothers always at family gatherings in Lawrence. It was at Rance’s high school graduation breakfast that she not only helped me grasp some of the technicalities of a new camera I had purchased, but also showed me a half dozen uses that I didn’t realize were possible with the camera. The young teacher was emerging and I recognized her interest in photography and videography (she also showed me how to use the camera’s video recording functions). During a birthday celebration in Lawrence for her grandmother, Helen Moore, I marveled at the slide show presentation that Marona and her brothers and sister had put together to share with all those attending reflecting a family’s love and admiration.

It was perhaps a year or so later that I read a blog Marona wrote following a trip that she and Malika made to South Africa and fully understood that Marona was an emerging talent — a journalist and writer. I wanted to read more of what she wrote.

As her academic interests shifted beyond journalism, I fully expected that in time her ability to observe, question and distill complexity into language and imagery any reader could grasp would emerge again — and help us all understand better the work she wanted to do.

Her wish for her research to continue inspires us all to see that it does. — Mary Jane Dunlap

I am speechless on hearing this sad sad news today. My thoughts and prayers are with Graham-Bailey Family.

Marona, I loved meeting you in Paris in 2010. You were so warm, bubbly and you made me laugh with your stories of roaming in South Africa unware of the country’s crime statistics! I loved how when we looked it up on Wikipedia, you were like “oh well…” I am happy to have met you. Rest in perfect peace! xx

Marona, Your words continue to be the most valuable of lessons about friendship and life. Thank you so much for being my friend. I miss you.

Just thinking about you in the holiday season..so blessed to have you Marona….