Bakk, Whistle, Lana                                                        * Home

late 1960s NY                                    1999, Topeka KS

Lana Bakk passed away on June 14, 2000 of complications from breast cancer.

Soul Searcher by classmate Dick McCoy

Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  6/14/00

A message from Lana's husband: Lana passed away this morning about 5:00am; she was comfortable and her passing was peaceful.  We spend the last

few days taking turns sitting with her and she knew she was loved by you all.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  6/6/00

From Lana's husband, Kal: She's tough, a real fighter. But she hit a plateau today in her improvement

and I'm planning on bringing the boys home in the next few days.

She's not as optimistic in this fight as she was earlier this year and it could be a matter of weeks.

She's mentioned she's been catching up with folks, but she's pretty modest about herself.  Lana's roots have always been in teaching, even after she left

the profession.

The one person everyone looks at when you think of not having an enemy in the world.  In Louisville she got involved with adult

literacy, and kids with disabilities (facilitated communications).

When we moved to Kansas she hooked up with the folks at Capper Foundation and volunteered, worked with a lot of kids with cerebral palsy.  Lana has

more friends than Carter has liver pills; its stunning.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  6/6/00

From husband, Kal: People talk about me being the king of networking, but she gathers friends without trying, puts me to shame.  Her sons are tremendous

 young men.

Scott runs a restaurant and always has a disabled kid come in, full pay, and roll the silverware and napkins.

David was an A student, student athlete, youth minister, and found time to volunteer at a soup kitchen, while in high school.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  5/21/00

After I was diagnosed in 97 I started journals for each of my sons and Kal.  I wrote of memories, feelings, and also gave the boys some opinions and

advice on various subjects and milestones they would reach in their lives.

I don't know how I could be more prepared to die!! :-)

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  5/20/00

In 1965 I was attending college - David Lipscomb in Nashville.  It is run by the church of Christ.  Russ (first husband) also went there and we dated off and

 on all through college.

My parents were planning to move some time after the start of the school year and I didn't want to change schools just for a few months.

Home for me was not a happy place anyway - way too many restrictions and responsibilities.

All I needed to get a high school diploma was Sr English so I took it in summer school at UE High.  I remember Melody Lambert was in

that class also.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  5/16/00

Russ and I divorced and I came back to Louisville while he moved on to Nashville (his hometown).  I worked at a computer sales store.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  5/15/00

I don't think I will ever draw a breath again without being thankful!

 I feel well enough to dance (at least once or twice) at David's wedding - hopefully this will last until October and then on into January so I can hold Scott

& Kate's baby, my first grandchild.

I'm optimistic, but feel a few more weeks have to go by to be sure the treatments I am getting will continue to work. I

get Mitomycin C every three weeks (an antibiotic given like chemo in large doses).

My history has been about 3 months for treatment to work before cancer becomes resistant and advances again.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed and

continuing to pray - thankful for this day and feeling good, hopeful for many more.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  5/1/00

I'll have to look for pictures.  There is one on the internet of me bald when I was going through chemo.  My face is very bloated from steroids.

I bought 2 wigs before losing my hair on the advice of lots of people but found that "it just wasn't me" so I quit hiding what the disease and treatment

does to people and just wore a ball cap - had one that said "Bad Hair Day" on it.

 My hair used to be very, very thick and slightly coarse and wavy.  Now it is fine as baby hair, straight as a string and much

thinner.  It covers my head so I won't complain.

I am not my hair and my hair is not me.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  4/28/00

During our Junior year I remember most stopping by Palma Longo's homeroom to talk to her each morning before going on to our own homerooms.

Miss Longo was a great listener and one of few we accepted advice from (like all teenagers we knew it all).of few we accepted advice from (like all

teenagers we knew it all).

I recall JFK's assassination took place that year.  I was in study hall when Bob Campbell came in and asked the teacher monitoring if he had heard the

announcement.

During the last period of the day we listened to details over the PA system and knew before going home that the president died.

I married Russ Kennedy from Endicott after graduating from college with a BA in Elementary Education.  We moved to Atlanta, GA where I taught school

for 3 years.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  4/28/00

Russ went into the Navy and we lived in Pensacola, then Rosevelt  Roads, Puerto Rico.  When he got out, we moved to Louisville, KY were I lived for 25

years.

We had two sons and divorced after 16 years of marriage.

I went to work in data processing for an insurance holding company called Capital Holding, later known as Providian and then merged with AEGON.

 While working in a user support area in 1987, I met and then married Kal Bakk. Our family grew with the addition of his 2 children, a son and daughter.  Kal

 and I moved to Topeka, KS a year and a half ago.

My life today is consumed with fighting breast cancer.  I was diagnosed in Jun 97 and went through the initial treatments including a very agressive

chemo regimen.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  4/28/00

We had hopes that would give me a long remission, but unfortunately it only lasted 18 months before recurrence in my bones and now lungs.  After a

recent hospitalization the Dr said I had 2-8 weeks to live.

I'm gradually improving with a goal of proving him wrong.   My youngest son is marrying in October and I want to be here.

Having cancer has taught me to live each day to its fullest and to appreciate all that life has to offer.  Time is our most precious commodity and how we

spend it is important.

  Commentator:  Bakk             ,  Whistle          ,  Lana  4/25/00

No, I am not in the yearbook.  Actually I never graduated - my parents were moving from Vestal to Maine, NY and I didn't want to change schools mid year

so I just took English in summer school at the end of our Junior year, got a diploma and went on to college. I would have graduated with the class of '65.  I

hope that doesn't exclude me from the group.

I have two sons. Scott Kennedy (28) is married and lives in Columbus, Ohio where he manages a Romano's Macaroni Grill.

David Kennedy (25) is a mechanical engineer with a small firm that designs hardware and software for NASA to be used on the shuttle and space station.

After 24 years of living in Louisville, KY, I now live in Topeka, KS with my best friend and husband of 12 years, Kal.

  Commentator:  Corpron         ,  Corpron         ,  Carren  6/16/00

Still rocked with the news of LANA'S passing. To have so recently reconnected and to have enjoyed and learned so much only to have it all gone so

soon. I assume their was a reason to have connected with her if only briefly.

  Commentator:  Corpron         ,  Corpron         ,  Carren  6/10/00

I think that Lana (Whistle Bakk)) and Micky Toole and the Keys sisters hung out together

Sue Stratton and Carol Lane 2 more 65'ers who lived near me. Sue Stratton Very Sexy, Very popular.....Hung out with each other and Judy Coolbaugh, and

Lana Whistle I think.

  Commentator:  Corpron         ,  Corpron         ,  Carren  6/8/00

I took a deep breath when I saw the e-mail from Kal! I had heard from Lana just before I left for Utah. She was so up beat and i thanked her for the VERY

WORTH WHILE gift ideas for those we love.

( we all are here by special invite and can be called away anytime. )

When we know the time table we are more carefull with our time. I always say I'll get to that later, I have decided to take better care of time .

It is a gift. Lana showed me that. I am still hopeful she will once again prove them wrong. I know she was hoping to  meet her grandchild.

  Commentator:  Loupret         ,  Gaskill           ,  Marjorie  6/14/00

I'm sorry to hear about Lana.  No one should have to suffer with things like cancer.  I don't remember her from school so we may not have been in the same

 classes, but it was nice reading about her.

She seems like she was a very strong person, someone I would have liked to have known.

It was a nice memorial that Dick McCoy sent to everyone.  When a classmate dies it makes you think about your own mortality.

  Commentator:  McCoy          ,  n/a               ,  Richard  6/14/00

Thanks for letting me know about Lana's passing; as a recent addition to this page, I never got to voice my memories of her ... I think someone said, "the

face of an angel", and that says it all

Now she is truly with the angels, and while we are sad for her family and us that she's gone from our world, we can rejoice with her that she now sings with

 the angels, free forever from pain and suffering.

I think that the words that she wrote in her writings on the web are poignant, and I for one am going to take to heart (and action) what she advises

  Commentator:  McLean         ,  n/a               ,  Rich  8/21/00

In a note to Joanne S.Just finished reading "Tuesday with Morrie". It was a book that Lana wanted me to read last spring before her final battle; one she

said was very dog-eared in her library and highly marked up. I can see now so much of Morrie in Lana…

He had a wonderful philosophy, and Lana shared and amplified it for us. "In order to live you had to know how to die"... and Lana knew how to die. She

had several years to prepare. Us? We should prepare today, shouldn't we?

In everything we do... because indeed we could die today... we have no guarantee. Will we prepare? Really? Maybe... not as extensively as Lana prepared,

but I think in the little things we think, do and say to others... trying to give not take.

That's a legacy of Lana and Morrie to us.

  Commentator:  McLean         ,  n/a               ,  Rich  7/7/00

Got this nice letter with a couple "now and then" pics from Kal. Will put the pics to the Web page this weekend. Here's the letter:

Per your email this past weekend please find two pictures of Lana to use for your project. I believe the black and white photo is from the 1960s and may be

a college graduation photo. The color wallet photo is from a sitting she arranged in our home

this past Christmas. As you can see, it's the same smile even after 30 years; if you need biographical information for your project please feel free to email

me.

She spoke often of "Bonnie" from her early years in Endicott, and I remember some stories about the "Post" family as well. I don't remember if the two are

one in the same, but if you have contact with people from her years there, please pass along

the unfortunate news of her passing. Please return the photos at your leisure after you have completed the scan; thanks. Kal Bakk

  Commentator:  McLean         ,  n/a               ,  Rich  5/20/00

Lana has prepared  some very poignant reflections on preparing for the second leg of life's journey: http://www.cancerlynx.com/metastatic_to_do.html

  Commentator:  Moyer           ,  Douglass       ,  Bonnie  5/20/00

 I've been in contact with her the last couple years, since she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  One of her brothers married my cousin & I'd gotten info

on her thru the years from my cousin

then contacted her myself when she got sick, since I had gone thru chemo/raciation for Hodgkin's Disease in 1992.

Sounds like she's really fighting since learning she's going to be a grandmother the end of this year

  Commentator:  Sorber          ,  Spohn           ,  Joanne  6/16/00

I've been thinking about Lana all week...and the effect that our words have hope, more joy in living AND death, and more reason to live each & every day

to its fullest than any of the "great writings" that I have read. I know that she is with the Lord, but  so much of her is still here, and will continue to be as

long as we can remember.

 What a truly great" lady."....in the real sense of the word.

  Commentator:  Sorber          ,  Spohn           ,  Joanne  4/27/00

Thanks so much for forwarding Lana's note...God bless her....she's still the lady she always was...one of the genuinely nice people who grace this earth

with their presence, and make it a nicer and more pleasant place to live.

Brian said that Mike Johnson was always crazy about her. I don't think she ever had an enemy in the world.

She was just beautiful in a very sweet way......not glamorous, but the face of an angel & a smile to match.......and she was so sweet that no one was even

jealous of her.

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