In Memoriam

Andrea Doria Dos Passos “Maggie”

Miami, FL

Andrea – known to many of her friends as “Maggie” – loved going to the beach and was known for her love of life and being “full of smiles.”

Yella Clark

Angola, LA

Nobody moves through the world without making an impact on others, and our stories are woven together in beautiful and sometimes unnoticed ways.

If you have memories to share about Yella, please use our submission form to tell us their story. Everybody deserves to be remembered.

Allister Matthews

Lockport, IL

Allister did not care about fitting in and followed his own spirit as it moved him. Classmates remembered him for his cool outfits and changing hair color almost every single day. Sometimes he would roll in with an iced coffee and a purple plush raven named King, other times he would go bowling with a slick black leather jacket. Allister loved hanging out with those who were drawn into his orbit, whether it was just chilling and watching TV or having long talks along the train tracks. He was a soul as unique as the starry freckles on his face, someone his friends will never forget.

Tiffany Azalea Monceaux

Lake Charles, LA

For both the patients and the other nurses at St. Patrick’s Hospital, Tiffany was a delight to be around and offered brightness for those in desperate need of it. She used her exceptional work ethic and passion to help others and became an RN in 2023, with the goal of making lives better under her care.

Tara Fable

New York, NY

Tara loved adventure and was not afraid to be wild with her friends. Both a hardcore punk and a sensitive soul, she threw herself fully into her local music scene and enjoyed exploring her home city. Whether through train-hopping, city-surfing, or just going on how the spirit moved her, she had a traveler’s heart and an exuberant soul.

Randy Dudley

San Francisco, CA

Randy was best described as “a reflection of a disco ball in the sunlight,” someone who'd encourage you to fight for yourself or just dance the night away. They studied at the New York Film Institute and moved out to Hollywood to intern on “RuPaul's Drag Race” and a trainee on “Shameless” and “Melissa & Joey.” They then moved back to New York to study design and fashion, before ultimately returning to California to work at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Despite going coast-to-coast, Randy traveled all over the world and was never limited by circumstances or imagination. This even applied to the clothes they wore, which were always extravagant and on-point with their snarky yet warm personality.

River Neveah Goddard

Stow, MA

River loved to write their own music that matched their outgoing personality. Even though their life was often rough, they maintained a cuddly yet spiritual nature and could find wit and humor in many ways almost every day. They often shared art and many photos of hanging out with their friends, enjoying all of the little things they could.

Tee “Ace” Arnold

Hallendale Beach, FL

Tee was a man who was there for friends and family, especially for his nieces and nephews, when they needed someone strong in their lives. He always took time to connect and listen, offering steady support. As someone who loved connection, it was fitting he also loved to travel. He had friends and loved ones all over, especially in New Orleans and Puerto Rico. He had even planned a trip to Bali and would have likely made many friends there too. His compassion and kindness would have guaranteed it.

George A. Schappell

Reading, PA

George was most famous for being, along with his sister Lori, one-half of the world's oldest conjoined twins. Yet he was far more than that - he also performed as a country singer. When he was younger, the two of them gained notability from appearing on several TV shows throughout the 1990s but by 1997, he wanted to explore more into his love of country music. He performed widely throughout the United States and even performed in Germany and Japan, winning the L.A. Music Award for Best New Country Artist in 1997. Even as he gained notability as a singer, he and Lori kept doing short roles in Hollywood by appearing in movies and shows like Stuck on You and Nip/Tuck. Lori cheered him on while he performed and George returned the favor during Lori's championship bowling career. He enjoyed his life and never regretted being with his sister through it all.

Starr Brown

Miami, FL

Starr loved being an aunt to her nieces and nephews. She worked hard so that she could spend as much time with them and share her love of fashion and tattoos with them. This often meant working at multiple fast-food positions and as a FedEx bag handler but it was worth it to get to be with the family she loved so much. She was working on her dream career as a digital creator and looked to a number of Black-owned businesses for inspiration. She had plans and looked forward to bring her family along with her.

Robbi Mecus

Denali Park, AK

Born in Brooklyn, Robbi always knew she belonged in the wilderness instead. As a kid, she cut out pictures and dreamed of the forests and mountains while listening to heavy metal, eventually becoming a forest ranger and an expert alpine climber. She used those climbing skills to rescue those trapped on the mountains and to found the first dedicated support group for trans+ climbers in the country.

“I think it helps when young trans people see other trans people accomplishing things. I think it lets them know that their life doesn’t have to be full of negativity, and it can actually be really rad.”

Basil Brown

Lafayette, LA

Basil had an avant-garde approach to their art, choosing to keep it all online for everyone to see. Drawing heavily from his interests in astrology and tarot along with his education in computer science, his art merged the futuristic with the metaphysical. Along with his unique style of expression, he was also known as the “clarinet player with the fire fits” and had a knack for debating in the philosophy club. Even the people who debated him couldn’t resist finding common ground with him and only picking the disagreement side to keep the fun going.

“No one had anything bad to say about him. It was always, ‘man, this guy can walk into a room and fix everything immediately,’” recalled one of his classmates. “He always had such a good outlook on life.”