A Life Remembered
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Kana, aka Robert Sweginnis, a long-term member of Twin Oaks, died of a heart attack on July 21, 2000. He will be sorely missed. He was a musician, a cook, and a woodworking artist. He had many friends, and his room was a perpetual hangout space for many. He is remembered for his warmth, generous compassion, and gregarious nature. i will miss Kana greatly. He was a precious mad saint in our little village. He would not ask us to greive for him long. --Paxus
I remember KANA mostly as "goofy Uncle Bobby", he will always be remembered
as the special person he was, and thanks to all of you, I now have these
pictures you posted to add to the person he was to me. He was my Uncle
Bobby. We always had to wait on Christmas morning for Uncle Bobby to get
there before we could open our stockings,and you never knew when he would
arrive, how or with who!!! I remember visiting him when he lived in
Washington; you knew you were getting close to where he lived when you
started seeing these metal figures he made,a bobbing postman, a bobbing
policeman etc.It was never dull when he was around!!! He was very gifted
artistically; as you all know. Whenever he came to visit he always had a
guitar with him!! There are so many memories, he obviously touched so many
lives. Meeting all of you and seeing how much he meant to all of you just
shows how special a person he was, and how much he'll be missed by
all. Thank you for giving us that too, a little window into who KANA was to
you.
So sad to read about Kana. During almost every year of the 7 years I've
visited Twin Oaks around the Communities Conference, I have enjoyed being
Kana's kitchen helper for a dinner preparation. He would always welcome
me into the kitchen work so warmly and ask my opinions about spices and
smile at me and be so friendly. He only saw me once a year but I was
always so touched that he remembered that I like garlic and would chat
with me about its virtues. I am coming back to Twin Oaks in AUgust and
was already wondering if Kana would be cooking on Thursday night and
hoping I'd get to plug in with him. I'll miss him.
Maybe now Kana can become part of the wood he loved so much...
"Like a bird Kana brought me back to singing, for which I am so deeply grateful. That was the first song I ever sang with Kana, and it will always make me think of him -- he being *so* free -- with his time, with his talents, with his kindness, and with his love. I will remember our golden summer of courtyard coffee-houses and our midnight café choirs, our manic friday dinner shifts and our philosophical red-wine moments, and always, the gentleness and grace with which he opened his door to so many.
So Kana, my dear friend, as the song says: "Tonight I'm gonna grab me a bottle..." both to numb the sorrow of losing you, and to celebrate the joy of having known you. I love you. And I will miss you so.
Kana, according to my schedule, I was expecting to "greet" you over there--at your "graduation" but now I'll be watching for you to welcome me when I reach the other side. You were one of my boys, not so much from spoken words but from an inner sense of shared meaning of this Dance of Life. Your interest in "K" strenthened me in my trust in his teachings. Your sensitive wooden creations, in our home, are daily reminders of your presence. Hugh has one of your boxes on the table beside his chair to remind him of your "assist", with one of your canes and not to forget the warm bread we would take home with us as we drove away from Twin Oaks.
Rich memories and deep love fill your place in our hearts, but there is a tender ache,,,,we'll miss you, Kana.
I was in Eugene, OR for a couple days, hanging out with Sugar (Tanya/Mario Andretti) when she gave me the news. In the last week there have been moments in the day when I pause and think about him. My most cherished memory is of him helping me make a couple little tables for Tiva and my stepdad. He told me, "you've got a good eye for the wood's beauty. Running your hand across the top... it's an experience," and then he gave his laugh, went out the door. -Elliot
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