When I am Gone by Florence Blevins I will never be "gone." You can always find me somewhere up high looking at vistas. If it isn't up high, you may find me in a beautiful garden setting, perhaps a gazebo, surrounded by colorful flowers and plants. Anywhere you look at beauty, you can also see me if you try. I can be found sitting atop a cloud looking at the universe. You will always feel my love because it encompasses time and space, and is eternal.

Florence passed away peacefully in her sleep when her mission was fulfilled. She was 95 years young.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Lincoln, in 1983, as well as by all her siblings. She is survived by her son Bill and his wife Judy of La Grande; grandson Ron; son Jim and his wife Barb and their son Alex of Kennewick, WA; and daughter Chris of Richland, WA.

Who was Florence? Excerpts from Florence's own writings; a 1996 obituary-writing exercise As a young adult, she loved ice skating…on hockey skates. Two hockey players from Loyola University told her she skated like a hockey player. She liked to skate fast. After she married, she was ill off and on for years. This circumstance impelled her to turn to a power she knew could heal the belief of sickness. She learned and learned, year after year, and never doubted her healthy state was the only reality. She never gave up. This circumstance was the driving force in her resultant spiritual journey which continued throughout the rest of her life on earth. Her vision was the wish to share the understanding she had gained which she was able to do on occasion. However, she still could not share the greatness and fullness she had learned, a way that dissected the illusions of a material belief system and sent them packing. She knew each one of us had to grow in the way he or she was led. The vision of gaining spiritual understanding guided her life.

She felt gratitude for many blessings including her marriage her children, Bill, Jim, and Christine and their spouses. She liked to teach, and volunteered her time. She tutored adults in reading, basic math, and algebra. Her students' lives were changed. Watching the changes, seeing the students spread their wings and fly, was a wonderful feeling for her. She sent all of them into the world wrapped in her love and caring, whether they knew it or not. She liked to help people and gave generously of her time.

She loved being outdoors—at the beach, walking, bicycling, swimming. She loved beauty so much it stirred her to the depth of her soul, often feeling almost too much to contain.

Florence's favorite quotes An old belief is like an old shoe. We so value its comfort that we fail to notice the hole in it.
~Robert Brault Sweet are the uses of adversity, which like the toad, ugly and venomous, wears yet a precious Jewel in its head. ~Shakespeare