Marla Ruzicka was killed by a car bomb attack in Baghdad Saturday, April 16, 2005.
- This article was emailed to you at the request of : Joe The sender included the following brief message : A FRONT PAGE ARTICLE ON A SUNDAY PAPER--AND THERE ISN'T EVEN A SUNDAY PAPER!! WE DON'T GET A LOCAL PAPER HERE UNTIL TUESDAY. LOVE TO ALL, JOE
- Please visit the Guest Book for Marla Ruzicka.
http://tinyurl.com/74y2z
- Lake County Record-Bee
- Ruzicka: "The quintessential global citizen"
- International collection of friends remember humanitarian who died in Iraq
- By Elizabeth Larson Record-Bee staff
- Saturday, April 23, 2005 - LAKEPORT - Dark skies and rain couldn't keep away those who loved and admired Marla Ruzicka.
On a stormy Saturday morning, between 700 and 800 people attended the funeral at St. Mary's Catholic Church for the 28-year-old humanitarian and hometown hero who died April 16 when a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb next to the vehicle she was traveling in along a dangerous Baghdad road.
The effervescent, courageous young woman's lifelong commitment, Fr. Ted Oswald reminded mourners, was one of Christianity's greatest commandments: 'Love thy neighbor as thyself.'
The day also produced a surprise with the appearance of actor Sean Penn, who has in recent years has become an outspoken critic of the United States' Middle East policies.
Friends from around the world, along with her family, remembered Ruzicka as a compelling, multi-faceted young woman, whose daring, courage and charm and fondness for salsa dancing co-existed with an underlying struggle to love herself.
Oswald officiated at a three hour-long funeral Mass and memorial service that began with a blessing over the elegant, angular wooden casket that carried Ruzicka's body, which the family reported U.S. military officials, the Open Institute Society and the Soros Foundation Network helped bring home.
During his homily, Oswald said, "Marla struggled just like the rest of us to live a life of faith, of hope, of love." And she did so, he said, in a "not so quiet" way, a comment which elicited laughter from those who were familiar with the charismatic young activist's outspokenness.
Having spent 11 years in police work, Oswald said he tends to "look for clues" in how people lead their lives. In Ruzicka's case, he urged those who knew her to look at what she produced in her all-too-short life.
"It's so sad that it takes a young girl's death for us to believe all those unbelievable and fantastic things she did," he said. "What a life." He added, to much applause, "There is no doubt in my mind that the good Lord has his hands full right now. Not only does he have his hands full but Heaven will never be the same."
Medea Benjamin, co-director of San Francisco-based Global Exchange, a nonprofit human rights organization Ruzicka worked for before she founded Campaign for Innocent Victims of Conflict (CIVIC), offered a vibrant, loving tribute to Ruzicka, calling her “the quintessential global citizen.”
Though Ruzicka said she “didn't do foreign languages,” Benjamin recounted, she didn¹t need to. ”Marla had the universal language, and it’s the language of love,” Benjamin said. “She took it everywhere she went.”
It was Benjamin who introduced Penn, who spoke briefly to express his sorrow for Ruzicka¹s death.
Colby Smart, who grew up with Ruzicka and called her “one of my oldest and closest friends,” said of her, “Over the course of the last week Marla succeeded at what I think she will always be known for - bringing people together.”
Smart said he last saw her in August 2004, when they went camping in Fort Bragg. The fatigue of her mission was starting to show on her young face, he said.
More than just an activist, Smart explained, Ruzicka “had indeed become a sort of compass,” who, through her work, reminded people of their humanity.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer and her daughter, Nicole, were the last to eulogize Ruzicka. Nicole Boxer - who had become friends over the last few years with Ruzicka - promised to help keep her friend’s work alive.
Barbara Boxer said Ruzicka had given herself - and the world - a tough assignment: Being responsible for the tragedies of others. “Marla does not give us permission to look away now,” she said. - A full report on the funeral will be published in the Tuesday print edition of the Lake County Record-Bee.
No comments:
Post a Comment