Of late there have been too many goodbyes. In recent weeks Amigos has lost two generous supporters, Carolyn Napoli and Edward Schiff, and now we are having to say farewell to one of our board members, Suzy Thompson.
Carolyn Napoli
Carolyn Napoli, a Guanajuato resident since 2009 and devoted supporter of Amigos de los Animales, died peacefully on August 19 in Bonny Doon, California, after valiantly fighting metastatic gastric cancer for nearly four years.
Rich Jorgensen, her husband, had these words of tribute: “Her resilience, determination and fortitude were both an inspiration and unsurprising to those who knew her well. She did everything she could to squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of life that she could, all the way to the end.” Her death has left a “giant hole in our universe,” said Anne-Marie, her daughter. It also left one in the Guanajuato community.
Carolyn had a brilliant scientific career, earning a Ph.D. at the University of Florida in microbiology, later doing postdoctoral research in molecular biology at the University of Colorado and the University of California, Berkeley. From there, she joined Advanced Genetic Sciences, Inc., a plant biotechnology company, where she helped establish a program to engineer floriculture crops, focusing on such high-value crops as carnations, chrysanthemums, and roses. Among her many achievements was the discovery of cosuppression, a form of gene silencing that led to the discovery of RNA interference.
Carolyn successfully reinvented herself several times during her career in science, always searching for excellence and creativity. At the University of California, Davis, she developed an internationally recognized research program to elucidate the genetic mechanisms responsible for the control of branching in plants. Later she moved to the University of Arizona in Tucson, where she conducted valuable research in plant genomics and developed educational outreach programs to high school science teachers, enabling them to participate in bioinformatics and molecular genetics research and to share their knowledge with their high school students.
After her retirement in 2010, she moved to Guanajuato and reinvented herself again as a fiber artist, spinning, weaving, dyeing, and even teaching. She applied the same rigor to numerous projects, including quilting and jewelry making.
She shared her skills and enthusiasm with others in the community, for example by offering workshops, and she generously supported several nonprofit organizations here, including Amigos, donating her textiles and jewelry for our fundraising events. She baked hundreds of cookies for our annual fundraiser last February. We are extremely indebted to her for her generous support over the years, and we will really miss her.
Besides Rich and Anne-Marie, Carolyn leaves behind her son-in-law and grandson, Ethan and Zeke Summers.
Edward Schiff
Edward Schiff, another generous supporter of Amigos, died in New York City on July 4. It was Ed who, in 2006, helped us form a U.S. nonprofit corporation and achieve 501(c)3 status as a public charity with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. That status has made us eligible for several sizable grants, donations, and bequests over the years.
An attorney, Ed was an eminent authority in U.S. real estate law. He specialized in cooperative and condominium housing, which he developed as a separate field of law. He was the attorney for the first condo conversion in the United States and acted as attorney for more than 500 cooperative and condominium buildings in the New York metropolitan area. He wrote extensively and lectured at Columbia University and New York University on the legal aspects of cooperative and condominium housing. His opinions were often cited in The New York Times.
In his later years Ed became involved in numerous cultural activities. A music enthusiast, he was chairman of the Riverside Symphony in New York City for more than 25 years. He studied acting and immersed himself in theater. He and his wife, Betsy, also loved Guanajuato and spent part of each year here for more than 20 years.
Besides Betsy, Ed leaves behind a brother; three sons, all of them highly regarded in the entertainment industry, and their wives; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandchild.
Ed was a loyal friend and a gracious host with a droll sense of humor. Those of us Guanajuatenses who are fortunate to have known him miss him keenly.
Suzy Thompson
We are also saying a reluctant farewell to our vice president, Suzy Thompson. Suzy and her husband, Bob, have made the difficult decision to return to Houston for Bob’s health and to be closer to family members.
Prior to her retirement, Suzy taught K-12 grades in the U.S. and was certified to teach English as a second language. She and Bob moved to Guanajuato in 2020 after living in San Miguel de Allende for 12 years. A pushover for cute homeless dogs, she joined the Amigos board, focusing on fundraising activities and volunteering at our sterilization campaigns. In 2023 she became vice president of the association.
We will really miss Suzy—not just for the many things she has done for Amigos since joining our board, but also for her energy, friendliness, sense of humor, and spirit that inspired us all.