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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 1995)
U PHOTO BY LINDA KLIEWER ju s t o u t T J a n u a r y 0 , 1 9 9 5 ▼ 3 time to let her go. Ariel lived her life as a healer. From a very early age she had an affinity for ani mals and the ability to listen to them. Her family lived for part of her childhood on a farm on the outskirts of Los Angeles. She used to joke that she was an original “valley girl.” Her personal menagerie through the years included sheep, goats, horses, geese, ducks, chickens, peacocks, dogs and cats. She studied herbal medicine at an insti tute in Northern California, incorporating formal study with what she had learned from her ancestors. She toured the United States in the late ’80s teaching workshops; her goal was to empower women around their own health care. After her tour she returned to the Port land area and did health consultations with women and animals. That’s how I first met her: She came to my home to talk to my animals and then, in later months, helped me with my own health concerns. Being an herbalist wasn’t enough for Ariel; in 1989 she went to the Oregon Massage School, got her license, and started a private practice in her home. She contin ued to empower women around health through massage, herbs and education. riel’s dream was to build community health. When the opportunity pre sented itself in 1992 for her to work at Just Out, she pursued the position of editor and overcame many obstacles and objec tions to seat herself among our staff. She felt community health could be achieved through unity and understanding, and she wanted to foster that with the printed word. Over the following years she earned the respect of those who doubted her and proved to be a valuable asset to the paper. She and I butted heads, more often than not, over editorial policy, word usage, and the integrity of the paper. She was true to herself and would not compromise on what she believed in. We grew to respect each other’s strengths and differences and the conflicts abated. Ariel’s editorials won her praise and criticism. She spoke her mind and had her own unique way of looking at the needs of our community and the wonderful world of politics that not everyone agreed with. I can never fill her editorial shoes, but her spirit remains. Even though she has often been absent often from the paper during the last fev' months, due to poor health, the work she has done here left an indelible mark. Kelly Bryan, our copy editor, still comes to me and says, “Ariel always uses this word instead of that word to describe such and such”—so Ariel still sometimes overrides me in the editorial department. Above: Police Chief Charles Moose in a playful moment w ith Ariel during an interview; Left: Ariel signs on to the partnership agreement between the Portland Police Bureau and the sexual minorities community A ne of Ariel’s proudest achievements as editor of Just Out was the work she did with the Portland Police Bureau’s sexual minorities roundtable. She helped to draft the partnership agreement between the sexual minorities community and the police. She earned a certificate of merit from the bureau last November for her work. Portland Police Chief Charles Moose O One of Ariel's proudest achievements as editor of Just Out was the work she did with the Portland Police Bureau's sexual minorities roundtable. She helped to draft the partnership agreement between the sexual minorities community and the police. She earned a certificate of merit from the bureau last November for her work. accepted it on her behalf because she was in the hospital recovering from surgery. That surgery allowed her to go home for several weeks and connect with friends before the final surgery led her off the planet, on Jan. 3, 1995, at the age of 42. She left surrounded by the love, light and laugh ter of her friends. Dance with the spirits, Ariel, and be free. I will miss your humor, laughter, heart, counsel, support, honesty, vision, friend ship and love and, most of all, you. My heart is both heavy from your loss and lightened for having known you. A celebration to honor A riel Waterwoman ’s life will take place at 7 pm on Wednesday, Jan. 11, at the Northwest Service Center, 1819 NW Everett St. in Portland. Contributions can be made to the Ariel Waterwoman Break The Cycle Fund, in care o f Bradley-Angle House, PO Box 14694, Portland, OR 97214. Space will be reserved in the next issue of Just Out for people's remembrances of A riel. * Memorials must be in our office by Jan. 11. You may fax them to 236-/257; or mail to PO Box 14400, Portland, OR 97214-0400; or e-mail to JustOut2@aol.com. TRANSITION Memorial planned for children’s doctor A memorial service is scheduled for Dr. Michael Robert Leone, a former pediatric nephrologist at Oregon Health Sciences University. Leone died Dec. 19, 1994, from complications due to AIDS. Leone was bom in Houston, Texas. He re ceived his bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame and his doctorate in medicine from the University of Texas Health Science Center. For eight years he served as associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Nephrology at OHSU, where he received the Joseph Bilderback Faculty teaching award in 1985. Leone is survived by his brothers Edward, Robert and Ronald o f Houston, Texas; and by his life companion o f 10 years, Tom Barreto Jr. A memorial service is set for 4 pm Saturday, Jan. 7,1995, at the Northwest Service Center, 1819 NW Everett St., in Portland. Riverview Abbey is handling disposition by cremation. Contributions in memory of Leone can be made to the Equity Foundation, PO Box 5696, Portland, OR 97228, to benefit AIDS education, or to the Doernbechcr Children’s Hospital Foundation Leone Fund. * * I