I lost a good friend on Tuesday.

Jo Ann Kirchmaier was the niece of playwright William Inge, but more importantly she was a mom to good friends and a part of my childhood. For over forty years her family and mine shared holidays and family events, and later, after I finished my doctorate in theatre, she encouraged me to attend and participate in the William Inge Theatre Festival. I spent many hours sharing stories, jokes, sorrows, and good times with her, reading bits and pieces of my plays and writings, and just doing things that friends do together. There are a lot of people who were touched by her and who will remember her with a smile.

I’ll miss our regular phone calls and her great laugh and grin. But, as we say in theatre, it’s not goodbye…it’s just intermission.