(darius) Darius Van d'Rhys

Our long-time friend, darius passed away March 19, 2014. She was one of the longest subscribed members here having signed up March 29, 2001, which means she's been with us almost 13 years.

Darius was an independent lady and a wealth of information. She took great pride in taking care of herself and living a sustainable lifestyle. From growing her own food (and preserving it) to undertaking construction projects; there wasn't anything she wouldn't...and couldn't tackle.

She shared her knowledge freely and anyone who frequented the Recipes forum was never surprised when she posted another yummy, gourmet recipe made from produce grown in her garden. Many new gardeners reaped the benefit of her years of experience, she was always quick to find a teaching moment.

She loved nature and the outdoors...and her beloved Appalachian Mountains.

I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913

This message was edited Mar 24, 2014 9:51 AM

Thank you Melody.

Rest in peace Darius.

Thanks Melody.

I have known Darius for many many years, and met her in person at the Ohio River Valley RU several years ago. She was a wealth of knowledge, and was always eager to share what she knew with new gardeners. She was never selfish with her information.

I wish her only peace, a perch on the edge of a cloud overlooking her favorite gardening plot, and finding a way to somehow commune with nature and still help us gardeners out.

Melody,

This is Incredibly sad news..not just the Beautiful Appalachian and Blue Ridge mtns but the World as a whole has lost an incredible person and kind, generous, and nice Soul.. when people like Her go away we realize how fortunate we were to have met them and how sad it is for those of us who are left when people of light like Her can no longer be in our lives. Rest in Peace Darius.

Shocked and grieved to hear of our dear Darius' passing. How fortunate that we had her with us for a while. I am sure that God has a special place for one who touched so many. ~ pen

Friend tho we never got a chance to meet it is bittersweet the news of your passing. Yes I will miss you. I and am saddened by the news but am happy at the thought you won't hurt any more. I know life was such a struggle the past few months. I wish you the best my friend may you flutter in the bright sunlight and sleep on a bed of puffy white clouds. Talk to him often and tell him my name once in a while.Good night until.

Yes I hope she is welcomed into the eternal Garden and I look forward to seeing her there.

She has been such an inspiration and I had SO hoped she would get up to visit our farm.

Words seem so small and empty.....Darius I am going to miss you......

I found I could ask her about alternative medicine/healing and got quite a bit of info from her. May she rest in peace and is now pain-free.

I never met darius but enjoyed the wisdom she shared so readily. She will be missed greatly here but is enjoying a beautiful garden elsewhere now.

Rest in peace Darius.

A great loss for us all.

I just found out the news, and am sad to hear we've lost her. I met her at the Cincinnati roundup, too, and she was such a great lady. May she enjoy eternity tending the most wonderful garden of all.

I can not express anything more lovely than what has already been said. Darius was an incredible person and I will remember her. We were so fortunate to have her in our community.

I've bumped into Darius over the years and have so enjoyed her discussions and contributions on all those threads. Such a smart, strong and resourceful woman! You will be sorely missed.

I am so very saddened to hear of Darius' passing.
She was a grand old Dame.....She had class! She was a great cook!
A GREAT gardener! We will all miss her knowledge on how to live and eat healthy.

I wish i could find my favorite picture of her...she posted it somewhere years ago.
Standing in front of a big mirror, wine glass in hand--looking calm and serene.
I think it was her 50th Birthday? Does anyone have it? If you do--please post it here.

Dear Darius---you will be missed greatly here. You contributed so much.
You were one of a kind......It, surely, is a sad day......PEACE!

Gita

Oh, my. I am also saddened by this news! Darius will be fondly remembered by many here because of her wealth of knowledge and willingness to share it.

Good Bye my friend,
May you rest in eternal peace.
I'll never forget you. You made a difference to so many.

Yes, she had class ... and that wonderful dry sense of humor. She will be missed indeed.

I was so looking forward to meeting her .Another time , another place .

Darius is an echo on Dave's Garden. Her beliefs and feelings will continue to be played forward by those nurtured and supported in her love of grass roots living. I was fortunate to share years of private email friendship with her. I have written a condolence to her family in which I expressed she had a curious and insightful mind. She used her passion for investigation to benefit and share with her friends here. Because of our our private communication, I am aware that the DG community was most important to her. It is lovely to see her memorialized so eloquently and I hope her family is able to see these posts as well.

Rest in peace Darius. We will all miss you.

Rest in Peace, Darius.

I did not have the pleasure of ever meeting Darius in person. Her encyclopaedic knowledge and generosity just spewed forth in her writing. She was a wonderful woman, always full of projects and achievements. I miss her already. Rest in peace, my friend.

Sylvain.

Oh no, I'm so sad. Darius spent the night with us a few years ago. We so enjoyed her wit and wisdom. Rest in peace my friend.

I remember particularly the fascinating articles she shared!

Darius helped me at the very first roundup I attended, when I was scared to drive and scared of carrying things when I was a couple weeks post-op. She was a wise and fascinating woman, and I'm better for having known her. My heart goes out to her family, I wish them peace and comfort in their grief.

May you now learn the answers to all those questions you passionately sought.
You can finally rest in peace Darius!

I find it hard to wrap my brain around the fact that she is gone. I know she was so close a number of times but then pulled through and was back doing what darius did so well.

I enjoyed my phone conversations with her; deep discussions about faith and healing and God. We even explored living together a few years ago, but she couldn't leave her beautiful mountains, nor could she wrap her brain around enduring WI winters.

I will miss her...a lot!

I am ever so sad to read this. I always loved her wit and wisdom. I admired her spirit and prayed that her dreams would be fulfilled.

She touched many lives, only earlier this month sending condolences for the loss of my spouse. What a special person to have touched so many lives. May she rest in peace....

If you have not read her blog, this is the link for some insight. http://www.2footalligator.blogspot.com/

This message was edited Mar 19, 2014 8:47 PM

Rest in Peace, Darius. I never met you in person (though I was hoping to when we get to Appalachia in the autumn - alas it's not to be). I still feel that I knew you. I could count on you to have the answer to just about any question and like most here I have a huge amount of respect for your skills. I'm happy to hear that your passing was peaceful. You will be greatly missed.

Funny how it is on here. We feel like we know someone, at least a little, tho we never met. I stumbled across the news of Darius on another thread and rushed to the Recipes Forum to see if anyone knew what happened. I am so shocked. I had just read her postings. I will miss her, too. To her family my sincere condolences.

I am at a loss for words about Darius, I guess I too always thought that I would get to meet her one day.

I found this old picture that someone mentioned of her maybe on her 50th birthday and wanted to share it with you all.

My condolences to her family.

Edited to say, I don't know why it didn't post. Will check into in.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2014 6:22 AM

Darius was truely a special person. I got to meet her at a KY roundup years ago. I can't imagine DG without her. She will be missed.

My condolences to her family.

Deb

I was going to try and meet up with her 2 years ago when the Spousal Unit and I were going to Bristol, TN, for the NASCAR race. We were on a really tight schedule, so we couldn't make it happen.

"There is one less bloom in the garden..."

I am so shocked, and saddened in my heart...

I miss you, Darius. May His angels carry you swiftly unto Him.

Hugs

Darius has touched so many in such a positive way, her passing is a loss to us all. I will miss the anticipation of reading her post to see what wit and charm she has presented us yet again.
Darius, may you have a warm pot on the stove and no weeds in your garden. RIP

This morning we miss Darius but know that she is free of pain and worry.
She leaves a legacy that will long be remembered.


This message was edited Mar 20, 2014 9:49 AM

I have been reading my old emails and dmails from Darius made since 2007 . I am greatly saddened by her death. She was a truly kind, educated, visionary, and earthy women who became a dear garden buddy to me and obviously to many many others. She always wanted some of my wild beach plums (Prunus maritima ) and sadly, I finally now have some healthy plants that I was going to send to her in a couple of weeks. In lieu of the plants that she really wanted, I would send her jars of beach plum jelly and she in turn would send me bountiful useful information and straight talk on countless subjects. Poignantly, here is one of our endings to one of our correspondences.

Posted wrong picture. Stop laughing at me ~d. Will post correct one here of Prunus maritima. Patti.