Margie and Jane – I Will Always Love You

November brings a host of feelings. I recall my two beautiful, beloved sisters, who celebrate birthdays this month, and the anniversary of Jane’s death. The trifecta of dates–Jane, three years younger than me, born on November 6, 1959; Margie, two years older, on November 8, 1954, and Jane’s death on November 7, 1981.

Decades have passed, and the emotional roller coaster evolves, never knowing how the pulse will feel from year to year. In 2011, I founded the Celebration of Sisters ice skating fundraiser to provide a focus, a venue to honor and commemorate the memories and lives of two cherished sisters. I desperately needed to channel the grief meaningfully in a way that spoke to the vivacious, fun, and active sisters I adored.

The photographs and music selected for the fundraiser helped recall lost memories. Now I could share Margie and Jane with others that I had suppressed for decades. With gusto, I sifted through piles of scattered photos and thirty-three albums, thoughtfully selecting the most meaningful pictures for the invitation and songs reflective of my skate in my performance. I cling to Margie and Jane, my anchors, sisters, with deep love, who remain my past, present, and future.

One year, I skated to Judy Collins’ Both Sides Now, recalling a family trip to California in the 1970s. The three of us saw Judy Collins in concert in LA. I was 19, Margie was 21, and Jane was 16. Another highlight of the trip, we snuck Jane into a comedy club where JJ Walker performed. Because of our tardiness, the comedian took it upon himself to use this content for his act. Mortified, we slinked to our tables, thankfully, the dim lighting hid our bright red faces. When we calmed down, we could poke each other and laugh.

In the basement of our home for twenty years, I stored a large plastic tub with the combined eclectic thirty-three album collection of the three Lipson sisters. Identified by owner with neon name tags, Margie liked James Taylor, Diana Ross, Steely Dan; Jane favored KC and the Sunshine Boys; and I liked Chicago, Hall and Oates, Seals and Crofts, to name a few. Shocked to see that Jane and Margie were Carole King fans. I skated to Beautiful in a trio, and a few years later performed a solo, knowing how beautiful Jane and Margie are.

Margie and Jane loved to dance, and I contemplated incorporating dance into a fundraiser, but ice skating won. For our father’s fiftieth birthday, we celebrated with a disco party. Margie and Jane were in their element, me not so much, but went along. Dolled up in a white suit and red shirt, mimicking John Travolta of Saturday Night Fever, our father played the part too. The party was a tremendous success, and the beaming smiles reflected a cherished memory.
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2026 will mark the forty-fifth year of Jane’s passing. I will turn seventy, and time for the revival of Celebration of Sisters after a hiatus. The first song I skated to was by Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You, the perfect choice. Margie and Jane, I will always love you.