Tina

My wonderful sister in law, Tina, passed away on May 25. We are so devasted and heartbroken. Tina was such a fun person. She was always so kind and inclusive. I loved her ability to talk to anyone easily. She wasn't afraid to ask personal questions to really get to know people. She was a very open person and didn't seem to have many things she wasn't willing to share with others (sometimes to Brian's embarrassment :)) She loved her family so much and had such great, open relationships with them. I know she made them feel loved and was a great influence on them. At the family reunion Grayson was offered some licorice and he said no because, "I agree with my mom and she says they taste like plastic.":) She's one of the few that have kept a family blog up to date and I will really miss reading it. Even though her and Brian have lived the furthest away, I've always felt like I knew what was going on in their daily lives more than the rest of the Dance family because of her blog. We all love Tina and will miss her so much!

Brian and the kids were at the family reunion when a friend called telling Brian the terrible news. Brian and the kids flew home immediately. The rest of us met at Sandy Valley and mourned together. We had a family meeting to discuss how we could best support Brian and the kids. Candis decided to fly out that night so she could help Brian take care of everything that needed to be done. Doug flew home with us on Monday and then went to Atlanta early Tuesday morning. He and Candis both stayed until the following Wednesday. The family pitched in to rent an AirBnB for Brian, his kids, and some of the family that came since Brian and his kids weren't ready to go home. It was a really hard and sad week. Tina's mom and sister flew in on Tuesday or Wednesday. They all helped Brian and the kids plan the funeral and make any arrangements that needed to be done. The funeral was on June 1. All of Doug's siblings and their spouses went except me. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of flying at there alone and leaving the kids. Plus I really wanted to be with the kids during the funeral so we could watch it together. It was a beautiful service. All the speakers did a great job. The next morning, family and maybe a few close friends drove to Chattanooga Tennessee where they buried Tina's ashes. 

Doug played some Minecraft with Grayson and watched Minecraft YouTube videos with him.

Doug also set up a memorial website for Tina where people can share photos and memories of her. Here's a few of the pictures I found of her.