About Naomi (Written by Gerald Sheldon - Naomi's Dad) Naomi was a happy and cheerful person with a warm and friendly smile. She took a sincere interest in everyone she met, and was always trying to make the world a better place. Naomi spoke rapidly, sometimes non-stop, always happy, and most of the time was attached to her cell phone. She graduated from the University of Texas in Austin, majoring in Radio, T.V. and Film. She then worked in the T.V. production field in Austin. One day she went to visit friends in Aspen, and soon decided that Colorado would be the place to live. She couldn't take her dog with her, and so "Miles" was put on loan to her sister Roslyn. It took three concurrent jobs to earn enough to live there, but Naomi was not afraid of hard work. She had an interesting variety of jobs, and did well at all of them. Any job that involved interacting with people was her specialty. Many people have a few close friends, but with Naomi it was extraordinary. If you walked along the street with Naomi in Carbondale or Aspen, it was like being with the mayor or royalty. She knew everyone, and they knew her. If you had a pet, she knew the pet's name and would pause to pet it. She treated animals with the same love and respect as her human friends. One time, as we walked, a passing car rolled its window down, and the Chinese man inside called out- "hi Wyoming". Naomi explained that he owned a Chinese restaurant at which she had worked, and since her could not pronounce "Naomi", he called her "Wyoming". For a few years she worked with Alice, who photographed many Aspen weddings, and corporate events, at which she would meet the rich and famous. She treated them with the same respect and easy friendliness as the kitchen staff that she worked with in Aspen at The Main Street Bakery, one of her other jobs. Naomi cared about the kind of person you were, not who you were. Naomi met Oli, and they fell in love. Their wedding was different. A group of friends, made a flotilla of kayaks, went down the river, pulled over at a river bank, and with an officiant had a wedding ceremony, which we later watched on a video taken by one of her friends. Oli and Naomi built their own home, since Oli was a skilled carpenter. Josie, was the big black dog, that they got from an animal shelter, and was their family until Jesse came along. Naomi then decided that her passion was to open a bakery. She had taken a course in Austin, to learn to be a pastry chef. She found a building site, designed the space, and acquired equipment to start a bakery. Her love for her dog compelled her to name it "Josie's Addictions", which might cause you to think it was a rehab center. Josie could be found lying on the front porch of the bakery, like she owned the place.A few months later life took a drastic turn when Naomi had a seizure. Soon after we learned that she had a malignant brain tumor, which required surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Much of this was at M.D. Anderson hospital in Houston, as well as many trips to Duke Medical Center in North Carolina. Naomi struggled with these treatments for 2 years, during which she maintained her amazing optimistic outlook on life. Naomi died at her parent's Houston apartment, under hospice care, surrounded by family and some close friends, on July 22, 2007. A burial ceremony was at her graveside in Durango, CO. Oli, Jesse and Josie went back to their home in Carbondale, where they have many supportive friends. Oli is working doing carpentry, and Jesse is in daycare 5 days a week, and is busy with Oli on weekends. He is doing a great job as a single parent. They visit family in Durango, Austin and Houston. Oli's parents came from France at Christmas to visit, and have sinced moved to Australia. Naomi touched many lives, and left us with wonderful memories. She loved people, loved life, and lived it with passion.