On behalf of her community at Idle Rogue, we are bereft to advise that Thea Dee passed away on Thursday, August 30. She had battled her way to remission from breast cancer, but fell ill this year and respiratory complications overcame her strength of spirit. We are told she was surrounded by family and friends and love, and passed peacefully.
Thea Dee joined Second Life in 2011, encouraged by musician Zak Claxton, a college friend who had established himself as a performing artist inworld a year earlier. Thea was always an avid supporter of the live music scene in Second Life, working in The Follow's street team and nurturing many musicians. She was a music trivia mastermind, and an accomplished DJ with a passion for disco, the 80s and Daft Punk. An inveterate insomniac, you will find friends of Thea Dee's in every time zone on the grid.
She joined Idle Rogue in it's early years, and was a passionate and committed community advocate, always looking for opportunities to build bonds and promote music and the arts. She was Idle Rogue's liaison with the Burn2 Burning Man festival in Second Life, as well as a frequent camp builder in her own right, and her innovative engagement events were erudite and charming.
Thea had many interests. She was a photographic artist, an estate manager at her beloved Eyefliez sim, curator for the galleries she housed on the sim, and seneschal for Chiaroscuro Island. A proficient builder, she designed and collaborated on many projects for Eyefliez, Chiaroscuro and for Idle Rogue, amongst others. She operated a gacha resale venture for several years, and was extremely knowledgeable about current affairs within the virtual world of Second Life. She was feisty and engaging and very much loved by anyone who knew her.
In first life, she was an accomplished crafter, jewellery maker, seamstress and calligrapher. Thea's research was always flawless, and her facebook page was a place where civilised discussion was openly encouraged and nurtured.
Those of us who knew her as a loving friend and community stalwart believe it is important that this rounded Second Life she lived be acknowledged.
As a dancer, Thea Dee's broad musical tastes informed an eclectic repertoire. She presented work from SL musicians, as well as from favourite indie and well-known bands, often themed around the love of music and dance itself. She was very interested in exploring the medium as it is presented in SL, and had plans to produce her own shows. When the opportunity to direct shows for Guerilla Burlesque came up, she took to it enthusiastically. She was a kind and nurturing director, who made time for each dancer to help them identify what they most wanted to achieve, and among the dancers she worked with, she is remembered with great admiration.
Thea Dee is survived in First Life by a husband, Taber, and an extended family, not excluding her Kingdom Of Artemesia SCA family. Donations to assist Taber with the expenses of Thea's illness and death can be made via paypal to Crowsduo@gmail.com.
Thea lived an artistic, passionate life in both worlds, and is an irreplaceable loss to every community she joined. Her dance, music and arts friends feel an extraordinary grief at her passing, and ask that you spare a moment to appreciate a life well-lived. Memorial events and concerts are planned and details will be forthcoming as soon as possible.
Written by cherryblonde (chryblnd.scribe)
