Remembering Deanna Bennett
A tribute to Deanna Bennett (1945–2023), Palm Harbor author of the Anna Immigration Trilogy and founder of the East Lake Writers’ Workshop, from Richard Lowe.
June 4, 2026
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People who shaped who I became, and who are no longer here to read what they made possible.
These are tributes to people who mattered. Family, mentors, friends, colleagues, and the occasional stranger whose kindness or example landed in my life at the right moment. Some I knew for decades. Some I knew for an afternoon. All of them left something behind that's still working on me.
Writing tributes is its own kind of work. It's not about getting the obituary facts right. It's about saying what the person actually meant, while there's still someone left who remembers the specifics. The longer I do this, the more I think it's one of the most important things a writer can do.
If you've lost someone and you're thinking about writing a tribute of your own, these may be useful as examples of how it can be done. Not the only way. Just one writer's attempts to do the people justice.
A tribute to Deanna Bennett (1945–2023), Palm Harbor author of the Anna Immigration Trilogy and founder of the East Lake Writers’ Workshop, from Richard Lowe.
A tribute to John Shields, CEO of Trader Joe’s from 1988 to 2001. He gave his people real freedom, backed their judgment, and was one of the greats.
Remembering Mercy, a belly dancer with the Ujam troupe who lit up every faire and stage with energy and a constant smile. Always dancing, always happy. RIP.
Remembering Rufus Caldwell, the first employee I hired at Trader Joe’s. A thorough, well-liked IT pro with a laugh that filled the room. Rest in peace, friend.
A tribute to Ron Sukenick, founder of The Relationship Strategies Institute, author of Networking Your Way to Success, and master of the giver’s philosophy of networking.
A tribute to my grandfather, Frank Hoeffer, Navy cook and WWII prisoner of war for three years and four months. He came home and never let anyone leave hungry again.
A reader’s honest tribute to Robert Heinlein. Stranger in a Strange Land found me at twelve, and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is the one I’ve reread a dozen times.
A reader’s tribute to Isaac Asimov, author of I, Robot and Foundation, who shaped my love of science fiction from age eight. Nearly 500 books, one doorway in.
A heartfelt tribute to Bonnie Dillabough—author, mentor, and creative force—who published her first novel at 64 and inspired countless writers.
Thinking about writing a tribute or memoir for someone you've lost? Ghostwriting tributes and memorial books is part of the work I do. The discovery call is a conversation about whether the project is right, not a sales pitch.