The purpose of the special interest group is to share and discuss how to deal with the sorrow of losing a loved one. Each meeting will start with a quote about grief and folks will discuss how it could help them. Our discussions will be open-ended.  Grief can be tenacious and can take over one's life. We expect to share strategies and tips on how to navigate through our collective sorrow.  The hope is that these discussions will motivate survivors to live a full life after the loss that that special person in their life.  We will be meeting from 10:00 - 11:00 at the Olli office RG 109 the first and third Monday of each month in room beginning September 19 – December 19, 2022.

Ray Matlock Smythe, BA, MAT

Ray taught American history for 39 years to both middle and high school students.  He received many accolades during this career. The one that was most meaningful was being honored as the 2000-2001 Teacher of the Year for David Douglas High School, the largest high school in Oregon. He lost his partner of 49 years, Steve Oliver in February. He wrote the book, Coping With Grief - My Personal Journey of Learning to Overcome Sorrow as a way to help himself and others cope with the sadness of losing a loved one. This is Ray's 7th book. Contact Ray Smythe at rayme49@aol.com to sign up for this SIG.

Are you a reader? Are you ready to take the next step and engage in fun and stimulating conversations about the books you’ve read? Join the OLLI Book Club. We will meet once a month at a time and place that works for all of us. We’ll agree on which book(s) we will read and then get together to discuss them. Members of the group will take turns volunteering to lead the discussion. Books may be any genre, vintage, or subject that the group wants to explore.  Contact Shelley Mitchell 707-496-8689 or shelleydmitchell@gmail.com