ggin

A Word from the Editor

With the loss of a close

friend, a role model and

more specifically a

member of our family it

sometimes feels hard to

move on. But if you look

up to the skies and that

one sparkling star you

know that they are

watching down on us,

carrying on their voyage,

boldly going where no-

one has gone before.

And it is that which gives

us the inspiration to do

better, to celebrate their

life and to carry on their

vision. As UFS grows so

do our feelings for each

other and that bond will

never be broken as long

as we remember. We

will remember them.

Be Strong

Be Proud

Be Starfleet

Editor - Kermie Mistwallow

kermie.mistwallow@gmail.com

This Special Issue

Admiral's Corner

In Loving Rememberance

Memories from a Friend

I Remember

03 July - 2011

THE ADMIRALS CORNER Farewell

by Admiral Mike Calhoun

Each morning when we awake

we know that you are gone.

And no one knows the

heartache

As we try to carry on.

Our hearts still ache with

sadness

and many tears still flow.

What it meant to lose you,

No one will ever know.

Our thoughts are always with

you,

your place no one can fill.

In life we loved you dearly,

In death we love you still.

There will always be a

heartache,

and often a silent tear,

But always a precious memory

Of the days when you were

here.

If tears could make a staircase,

And heartaches make a lane,

We'd walk the path to heaven

And bring you home again.

We hold you close within our

hearts,

And there you will remain,

To walk with us throughout our

lives

Until we meet again.

Our family chain is broken now,

And nothing will be the same,

But as God calls us one by one,

The chain will link again.

Admiral Mike Calhoun pays his

last respects to his friend and

one of the finest officers of UFS

We celebrate and pay

tribute to the life of

Taylorholic Durant. To give

thanks for her life and the

experiences that we

shared, and to wish her

well now that our time

together is over. For many

of us, we’ve lost someone

quite special to us; I

personally have lost one of

my closest friends.

Tay has throughout her

career here at United

Federation Starfleet been a

part of our family. She was

an explorer, treading an

unpaved path, she was a

rock upon which our

foundation was built, and

our memories of her will

remain forevermore. From

games of Greedy, Greedy

with friends, to her melodic

laugh, Tay was always one

to whom you could turn.

All the faiths throughout

the history of the universe

have spoken of another life

after death. We do not

know precisely what it is,

but we can hold on to the

hope, the belief, or the

knowledge of peace, rest,

hope, the belief, or the knowledge

of peace, rest, fulfilment, and of

people being reunited in love.

For Taylor, the journey is

beginning, but for us, there is loss,

grief, and pain. Every one of us

here has had our life touched -

perhaps in the tiniest way, or

perhaps totally transformed - by

Tay’s existence. We would not be

here otherwise. Her life mattered.

Such is the beautiful power of an

enduring soul and a life honestly

lived. The question is really, how

will we survive without her? will we survive

without her?

It is important

for us to

acknowledge

and accept that

something

fundamental

“My friend,

My Confidant,

My Sister”

has changed with her

going. Life will not be the

same - and life should not

be the same. Yet we must

go on, and we will go on.

Leo Buscaglia, once said

that

Death is a Challenge.

It tells us not to waste time.

It tells us to tell each other

right now that we love each

other.

right now that we love each

other.

My dearest Tay,

You where my friend, my

confidant, my sister

Andrea is one of these

people that get into your

heart and never leaves

I can't imagine a UFS

without you,

I can't imagine life without

you..

nor do I want to..

Your loyalty and devotion

to UFS and to me are

legendary and more

appreciated that you can

ever know. Everyone

knows I took an interest in

your career and made you

one of my protégées….You

always stood at my side,

and by god….it was an

honor getting to know you.

Your legacy will continue

with every new cadet that

joins our ranks and learns

the manuals you wrote

to UFS and to me are

legendary and more

appreciated that you

can ever know.

Everyone knows I

took an interest in

your career and

made you one of my

protégées….You always

stood at my side, and by

god….it was an honour

getting to know you. Your

legacy will continue with

every new cadet that joins

our ranks and learns the

manuals you wrote

I know I was hard on

you sometimes, and

I know I made you

cry many times... but

I know you turned

out to be a

magnificent leader

and I know that

wherever you are

now, you already

started the UFS

group to safeguard

it......

My dearest Andrea...

without you the

clock continues to

tick....

but the times

change fast...

SO I have to say

goodbye...

you have to go

now...

but know that in my

heart you continue

to live on.

Tay.....

It was an honour

serving with you

Andrea.....

t was an honour

being your friend

You will never be

forgotten

Rest in Peace..

Queen of paperwork

thank you for

everything

Behind the avatar of Taylorholic Durant was a woman named Andrea. She had a zest for life and a

skill with languages, speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, English, and French. She had a loving

husband and a family she has left behind.

As all of the above individuals have demonstrated, Tay/Andrea was an individual who was loved by

all. She had an impact on the lives of each and every individual here today.

We all mourn today for our fallen friend, for one we’ve come to know, for one who I consider to

be a part of my family. I wanted to take the time today to share a poem that really exemplified

everything I have come to think of Andrea in the time we’ve known each other and what I feel now

that she is gone.

I remember everything about you,

your voice, your smile, your touch,

the way you walked, the way you talked,

the way you looked at me, meant so much.

I remember all the words you said to me,

some funny, some kind, some wise,

all of the things you did for me,

I see now with different eyes.

I remember every moment we shared,

seems like only yesterday,

or maybe it was eons ago,

It's really hard to say.

You are gone from me now,

but one thing they can't take away,

your memory resides inside my heart,

and lights up my darkest days.

For the rest of my life, I will remember Andrea, I will remember the times we spent talking, the

times we shared so many memories, memories that even time cannot erode.

Andrea has always been someone who has faced every challenge that life has given her head on,

and she would want for each of us to do the same. Andrea followed no set path during her life, she

instead went where there was no path and blazed a trail, one for countless multitudes to follow

behind her.

There is no way to perfectly sum up all that she has meant to all of UFS. She lived each and every day to fullness, her laugh echoed down

each and every hall and corridor. Her work set the stage for United Federation to evolve into what it has become today.

Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people

from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, love is stronger than death.

It is to this promise we hold tight to as UFS officers and as friends of Tay. In everything that we do, in everyone that we touch. We pass on a

part of Tay, of how she lived her life. If we can but emulate her compassion, and to try and emulate that ourselves as we interact with

others, we will never lose touch with Tay. Even as she starts her voyage on that final frontier, her memories will guide us still.

What the caterpillar perceives is the end,

to the butterfly is just the beginning

Those who never knew Andrea, those who never had the pleasure to meet her will find out through our actions just how talented of an

officer she was, and how she gave her all to this organization. She will forever be a part of us.

While her physical body may not be amongst us anymore, her spirit and traces of her will pass the test of time. Today we commend her body

to the stars knowing that no casket, nor monument will ever be big enough to contain her spirit, in closing, I would like to share this poem

with you.

Don't grieve for me, for now I'm free.

I'm following the path God has laid, you see.

I took His hand when I heard His call.

I turned my back and left it all.

I could not stay another day,

to laugh, to love, to work or play.

Tasks left undone must stay that way, I found the peace at the close of day.

If my parting has left a void, then fill it with remembered joys.

A friendship shared, a laugh, a kiss, yes, these things I too will miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow.

I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow.

My life's been full, I savoured much,

Good friends, good times, a loved one's touch.

Don't lengthen it now with undue grief.

Lift up your hearts, and peace to thee.

God wanted me now,

He set me free

Tay's Life Story

I would like to tell her

story of what she has

told me thru the years

about her life , friends ,

and times.

I would first like to tell

the story of her Real Life

, for those that don't

know.

Born in a small town

outside of Sao Paulo ,

Brazil...

on March 4th , 1978...

A small baby girl named

Andrea Garcia came into

this world.

She joined her mother ,

father and brother

Marcus as a family while

she grew.

At the age of 4 , she

became very sick and

was rushed to the

Hospital.

She almost died at the

time but pulled thru and

was nurtured back to

health.

We almost lost her

without even knowing

her.

This sickness she had ,

which was some kind of

chemical

imbalance...would affect

her for the rest of her

life in the form of

Hormonal imbalances ,

infections and related

health problems.

In loving Remembrance

know.

By Captain Kevin Fremont and Captain Tammy Durant

As she grew , she became

a very intelligent young girl.

Her ancestry was linked

back to Spain , to a Marquis

de Seville of Royal Blood.

Her Grandmother told her

that her ancestors

immigrated to Brazil from

Spain...because of the

wonderful opportunities at

the time in the new world

So this little girl was already

bi-lingual as her family

spoke Spanish as well as

the official language of

Portuguese in Brazil

At the age of 7 she began

learning English.

Throughout her childhood

she continued to excel in

school.

She became a fan of the

group Duran Duran while

still a pre-teen...and had an

absolute adoration of one

of its members John Taylor.

Which explains her SL

name of Taylorholic

Durant.

As she grew up , she

continued to study English

and even became an

English teacher by the age

of 14.

She had a love of

Languages and began

studying French as well.

Andrea had a few

relationships in her teens

but never really found

anyone that she was truly

interested in. anyone that

she was truly

interested in.

Her family

moved to Sao

Paulo and once

she was old

enough she

attended the

University

there and

studied Law.

enough she attended the

University there and

studied Law.

It was about this time that

her father had passed

away.

She took it very hard and

continued to talk about him

up to the end of her life.

Her family was considered

somewhat wealthy by

Brazilian standards up until

the time of her father's

death.

They had a large house and

a live-in maid.

After her father passed

away the family began to

struggle financially.

By this time the house was

almost paid off and the

maid became like a family

member and even like a

sister to her.

Andrea worked on the side

as an English instructor

while attending the

University to help with the

familys expenses.

sister to her.

Andrea

worked on the

side as an

English

instructor

while

attending the

University to

help with the

familys

expenses.

attending the University to

help with the families

expenses.

One of her most exciting

experiences at this time

was to travel to the U.K.

and study for her English

Certificate at Cambridge

University. She was always

proud of that certificate.

After earning her certificate

she spent some time to

Travel to Norway to visit a

friend that lived there.

“We almost lost

her without even

knowing her.”

always planned a party for

each one.

All of us would come online

in the evenings everyday

and talk for hours about

anything and everything.

We got to know each other

really well and even though

we lived in different

countries , it was as though

we were real neighbors.

Great days , fun times I will

never forget.

Tay and Tammy started

going to gaming Sims and

loved to play the games

there , especially Slingo.

Parrot Head Island Sim

became a favorite and

that's when we started

Hosting games there.

A short time after returning

to Brazil , Andrea met

someone online

that was to become her

husband.

They talked a lot on-line ,

by telephone , mail...and

she took a trip to Canada to

meet him

His name was Jonathan

Reid and she met his family

and they got to know each

other.

Jon made a visit to Brazil to

meet her family and they

became married soon after.

Andrea and Jon settled in

Canada in the small town of

Belleville , Ontario near

where his family lives.

Over the next few years

she worked in Technical

Support for a couple of

American companys.

Support for a couple of

American companies.

Andrea , who was always a

big Duran Duran fan was on

the fan website one day

and it mentioned

something about Second

Life.

Having never heard of it

before , she logged on for

the first time to see what it

was about.

My wife Tammy , who is

also a big Duran Duran fan ,

also saw the article on the

website and logged on

I in turn then logged on to

see what it was.

the Date was August 7 ,

2006.

All three of us began our

Second Life that day.

Many of the fans of Duran

Duran picked the last name

of Durant as it was the

closest thing to the band's

name.

Many of the fans of Duran

Duran picked the last name

of Durant as it was the

closest thing to the band's

name.

The fans gathered in SL and

that is when Tay and

Tammy met.

I met Tay a couple of days

later.

Tay , Tammy , Tay's

husband Jon , and me

became close friends

and bought SL houses on

adjoining land in a Tropical

Island setting.

As neighbors we had a lot

of parties and invited

everyone we knew in SL to

come over.

The Holidays were

especially nice as we

Over the next 6 months or so it was Hosting games and hanging out with fellow Duran Duran fans.

One day Tay and I were talking and she mentioned there was a Starfleet Sim.

As both of us are Star Trek fans , I said "Why don't we go check it out?"

The date was March 28th 2007.

Once we got there , we hid behind a shuttle , not knowing if we were allowed there and watched a small group of people.

At the time , the Sim that we are on now was completely flat , had a small welcome center and only a handful of small buildings.

Tay and me joined up and Tammy

followed up a week later.

Tay went right in and took every

class at the Academy (I think there

was 4-5 classes at the time) in the

first couple of days.

We were in about the 2nd or 3rd

graduating class of the new

Academy.

UFS ( previously known as SL

Starfleet) was 8-9 months old at

the time.

There were about 30 members ,

and the Academy was being built

up.

Some of the members at the time

were, Mike , Brice , Sandstrom ,

Zed , Tig , Zania , Allen , Marie ,

Luna , Alex , Louis and Mree.

The Graduating class of April '07

was, Tay , Tammy , Kevin , Cyril ,

Gawyn and a few others that are

no longer active.

Tay was made the Gamma

Squadron Leader of our class. (This

was before Delta and Gamma

Companies formed)

She was already in leadership roles

even before graduation.

She got involved in everything she

could and became Chief of Staff to

Admiral Calhoun right at

graduation and also CCO of Delta

Company for a couple of weeks till

I took it.

In her early years at UFS , Tay

would guide new Cadets as a

Mentor which led to her time in

the Academy.

She rose through the billets from

Academy Administrator to

Academy Vice Commandant ,

Academy Commandant and finally

Academy Superintendant.

She put in long hours of work ,

sometimes 8-10 hours a day and

even ran the Academy by herself

at one point for a few weeks when the Academy

was low on people.

Tay was always one of the most active in the group

and along the way she made numerous friends in

UFS.

She went on to become the Head of the

Operations Branch and then Commander UFS.

It was during this time in RL that Andrea and her

husband Jon came out to visit me and Tammy in

California.

I got to meet a close friend and Tammy got to see

her "Sissy" as they were like sisters.

We had fun meeting in person and went to

Disneyland , Hollywood , the Beach , the

Mountains and all over.

Andrea has a habit of collecting flags from every

country she visits so since this was her first time in

the USA , I gave her a hand sewn American flag

that I purchased before her arrival.

She would cook in our kitchen and teach me and

Tammy many Brazilian recipes.

We took them to a Brazilian restaurant in town and

Andrea loved it since she had been away from her

native country for many years.

Our time together on that trip in spring '09 will

always be one of our best times.

After returning home to Canada after the trip , she

went right back to work.

Andrea had many things she loved , the Band

Duran Duran , especially its member John Taylor.

Her favorite country she visited was the UK. She loved to

cook. Her favorite fast food was KFC. She was a Star Trek

fan and of course she was dedicated to UFS.

Her and Jon started having some financial difficulties as

Jon was having back problems that kept him from working

as much.

Andrea was stuck in a job that she didn't like and the pay

wasn't very good.

As a highly educated woman it was the lack of

opportunities in the small city in which they lived that

prompted their next move.

After considering moving to Toronto for the opportunities

there , they decided the best option was to move to Brazil

and stay with Andrea's mother while she takes more

University classes.

Also a bonus , Andrea could teach English which she loves

to do and make a lot more money.

There was also a Doctor that her mother knew that said

he would help her with her Hormonal problems that

caused her hair to fall out and her face to become bloated

as well as being hard to lose weight.

This condition she had was the result of her illness she

had when she was 4 years old.

Andrea loved children and had been unable to have any

up to this point because of her hormonal imbalance.

This was the hope she was looking for.

So in the summer of 2010 Andrea and Jon moved to

Brazil.

It was during this time that Andrea retired from UFS as she felt

that she would not have the time to do what was needed during

the move and the settling in process.

Andrea started teaching English , enrolled in the University and

began her treatments.

In just a matter of a few months she returned to UFS and was

given the post of Promotions and Awards Director.

A couple of months later she was made Chief of Staff UFS and

held both positions.

Her office once again became somewhat of a gathering place for

people to just come by and talk.

In some cases she would have several people in her office chatting

away and she still did her work while joining in the conversation.

Andrea was the best multi tasking person I have ever seen and

she would do 2-3 jobs at the same time.

Her voice would resonate through the hallways of the station as

well as Tams and everyone else that was chatting with her.

After officiating at the April promotions and awards ceremony on

May 1, 2011 , she said she had a painful boil on her abdomen.

She had had these before but this one was different in some way.

A few of us told her to go to a Doctor so she made an

appointment for the following week.

She was always concerned for her work teaching , taking classes

and for UFS that she waited too long to seek help.

The infection spread throughout her body and by the time she

sought help at the Hospital , the Doctors worked hard to save her.

We lost her.

Andrea/Tay was such a loveable person , she made friends easily

Andrea/Tay was such a loveable person , she made friends easily

and people seemed to be drawn to her.

She was loved by many and in turn loved.

She touched the lives of almost every member.

Whether it was by recording someone's class , mentoring them , guiding them , working with them , or just talking with them.

UFS won't be the same without her.

We will always remember you Tay/Andrea.

With Love from Kevin and Tammy

I REMEMBER BY JADIA TRIELLIS

I remember… I remember the good times, when we would all sit around playing Greedy Greedy. I remember the hard times, when a listening ear was there to hear me rant. I remember the times when a laugh was all it took to make the day a little brighter. I remember Tay, I remember the fact that she was there through both the good and bad times. A particular memory that sticks in my mind took place but a few months ago. Tay and I were catching up and discussing recent events that had taken place. I was a bit frustrated over some things and she’d come to see how I was doing and offer some advice. Then at the end she talked about a game of Greedy, and off we went to have some fun, troubles forgotten and frustrations assuaged. The lessons she imparted, as well as the listening ear she offered, exemplify the woman that she was, and the life she lived. A life filled with compassion, empathy, and acceptance of others. I miss my friend and I always will. There is a void within my heart that cannot be filled. Tay was an individual full of a zest for life. She loved much and was always there, she genuinely cared about each individual here within UFS. She cared so much that her needs were second. The legacy she has left behind, the lives she has touched ensure that she will never be forgotten. It’s still hard to believe that she’s gone, that I will never hear her laugh once more. I will miss that, and more. I’ll miss the tone she took when she knew I was going in the wrong direction, the patience she exhibited on many occasions. Revelation 21:4 states that, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” That day has not yet come but I know I eagerly await the day when it does, when death and loss and pain are forgotten. Tay is in a place now where she knows no more pain, no more fear. She is at rest and yet those of us left behind, those of us who have not yet taken that final voyage miss her, and will remember her for all time. How do you say goodbye to someone who is so young, to one who was not due to take that final voyage? In times such as these we must band together, united we stand, divided we fall. Thank you Tay for all you’ve done, for your friendship, your kind and gentle heart, your persevering spirit, your desire to seek out new life and new civilizations. As we move forward this is what we all need to remember. Mere words are not enough to pay tribute to Tay, however if we remember her and the work she has done, that is the greatest honor we can bestow. It will ensure that she lives on, in our hearts, our minds, our duties, and our actions. Remember Her.

Special Thanks

Admiral Taylorholic Durant - For her Service

Writer - Admiral Mike Calhoun

Writer - Captain Jadia Triellis

Writer - Captain Kevin Fremont

Writer - Captain Tammy Durant

and Captain Fremont & Durant for their Donating of Pictures.

WE WILL REMEMBER