In Memory of a Departed Friend and Fellow Writer

 Raven Chiong 

Raven and Dulce her beloved rescue

All who knew Raven are saddened by her death on Monday night, Dec. 11, 2023. She was a writer, a poet, but she was so much more. After she was diagnosed with cancer in February of this year, she said she hoped she could birth her book before her life ended. We are grateful her book was published, Ode to the Still Small Voice-A Memoir of Listening and now we have it to read as we remember this dear and special person who touched so many lives.

I met Raven when she registered for my writing class on Zoom in the early days of the pandemic. Although she was a quiet person, she was always thinking, and her presence was felt. We learned about her life from the stories she wrote in class. I learned she was a person who liked to run. From early childhood, she found her calling and with the ongoing support of a caring coach, she began to join and take part in events all over Florida and in other states.

Her career highlights include qualifying for the First Ever 1984 Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials and paying it forward with her 19-year cross-country coaching career at DePauw University (IN), Florida Atlantic University, Pine Crest Prep School (FL), and Mills College (CA) where she was also coordinator and grant writer for the N.C.A.A. program, C.H.A.M.P.S.—Challenging Athletes Minds for Personal Success. 

She served as United States Ambassador at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece, and took 10 ten-year-old students to Australia to run, relay style, in the Brisbane Half-Marathon.

She never bragged about her accomplishments, but she was proud. Running and helping other athletes reach their goals were deeply ingrained in her. The essay she wrote about that coach who saw something special in a child who was suffering after the divorce of her parents, feeling alone and unseen, was authentic and honest. It brought tears to our eyes as she read it, and she choked up as well.

Raven and I became good friends, and I realized she had great potential as a leader and influencer for writers. She seemed to have an aura that made people comfortable with her. She listened more than she spoke. She joined NCWN-West and was dedicated to helping the organization in any way she could. She volunteered to help sell books we had on hand and soon she had Echoes Across the Blue Ridge in every shop and store in Hayesville and in other cities in the area. The books sold and the income was added to the Netwest bank account.

I realized what a talent she had for working with people. We asked her to be our Clay County Representative for NCWN-West and she accepted.

Our monthly meetings had come to a halt during the COVID period when everyone stayed home. But Raven revived the Netwest poetry critique group that had met monthly for twenty years before the pandemic. She gave it a new name. The Netwest Bee City Poets met at the Moss Memorial Library. The meeting time had to work with her job, so she began at 1:00 PM and ended at 2:15. The number of participants grew every month and many of the poets who had begun with me twenty years ago attended Raven’s group as well as new poets who had moved to town. I heard compliments and praise for Raven from many.

Raven has worked for Best Friends Animal Society since 2008 before she came to the mountains of Appalachia. It wasn’t long before she worked for them again from home on her computer.

She had four “monkeys” of her own, four dogs she had rescued and loved immensely. The only thing she asked as her days grew shorter was for her dogs to be taken back to Utah to live out their lives where she knew they would be well cared for. Many of her friends offered to make that happen.

Community Support

Raven was a member of the Clay County Communities Revitalization Association (CCCRA), Clay County Historical and Arts Council (CCHAC), Friend of the Moss Memorial Library, and a supporter of Historic Hayesville, Inc., Celebration of Pets Foundation, and One Dozen Who Care, Inc. You can see her impressive resumé here.

Raven could always be depended on to be there when she was needed. She often called to ask if she could do something for me. She helped me in so many ways and always with a big smile and loving spirit.

She was here in Clay County only a few years ago, but she left us an example to follow. Raven gave of herself and her time to others. When she saw that someone needed encouragement and support, she quietly gave it. If it meant driving to another town miles away to attend a friend’s art exhibit, she drove there.

Once the cancer had been diagnosed, and she was told it was terminal, she did everything possible to beat it with natural means – hiking in the woods, soaking in the calm and energy of the trees, grass, and animals. She embraced acupuncture, energy healing, and a strict diet. She lived longer than the six months predicted. She continued her activities including mowing her yard up until only a few weeks ago. She had a Caring Bridge account where we followed her through the ups and downs. There I found Raven had many friends in Utah and how much they loved her.

Raven Chiong will be missed in Clay County for a long, long time. We will do all we can to continue her work for NCWN-West. The outpouring of love and admiration for her has been amazing. I hope we can follow her example of loving and caring about others, encouraging, and supporting each other, as we continue our own journey with dignity and kindness. 

 

The Netwest Bee City Poets. Raven is standing on second row right

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