Joan H Case

THE LAMENTATIONS OF THE OLD PENSIONER
(By William Butler Yeats 1865-1939)
Although I shelter from the rain
Under a broken tree
My chair was nearest to the fire
In every company
That talked of Love or Politics,
Ere time transfigured me.

Though lads are making pikes again
For some conspiracy,
And crazy rascals rage their fill
At human tyranny,
My contemplations are of Time
That has transfigured me.

There’s not a woman turns her face
Upon a broken tree,
And yet the beauties that I loved
Are in my memory;
I spit into the face of Time
That has transfigured me.
Joan died as she lived, proud and private, yet surrounded by friends. As a lawyer she was feared by her opponents, cherished by her clients, and respected by all. As a friend she was generous but honest with a ferocious sense of justice and righteousness. She leaves a hole in the universe as well as a hole in the hearts of those who loved her.
A memorial service will be held at Kitsap County Superior Court, Room 212, Wednesday July 16th at 330 pm. A less formal service is being planned for later in the summer with details to be announced and also available on the website of Rill Funeral Home. Donations in her memory may be made to a favorite charity or to Pasado’s Safe Haven (.org) Online at www.rill.com .