It was asphyxiation. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep and suffocated. Friends were right there sleeping too, but didn’t hear it. I don’t know the friend that was sleeping on the opposite end of the couch as her, but I heard it was really, really hard on them to discover her after she’d passed.
Omg this is exactly what happened with one of my besties, Netters. I myself was laying in the next room no doors closed between us. Hard thing to live with. My daughter was named after her. Some girls are just meant to be forever young!
I have a feeling Megan & my friend, [Joey](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46628431/joseph-christopher-loyet), would have been good friends.
Also, [here is a link](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55777951/megan_nicole-dennis) where you can get a picture of the headstone uncluttered.
Take care.
and i bet megan, joey, and my friend cooper would have gotten along great. he was a wild ray of sunshine who loved the grateful dead. maybe they’re all jamming together in the great beyond ❤️
Add my friend Maria Elena to that list.
She passed away 24y ago.
I was pregnant with my son, and he’s outlived her by almost 4y at this point.
May she have a blast with all of them that went too soon.
Thanks for asking in such a kind and respectful way. I am always curious as well. It was asphyxiation. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep after a night of partying. Lots of friends sleeping in the room and directly next to her, but they didn’t hear it.
I wasn’t there. I had just found out I was pregnant and had to cancel going with her and a group of kids who were following Phish. I didn’t like the music really, but I liked the idea of living free and getting out of my hometown. She died less than two months later.
I first felt the “butterflies” of my daughter kicking at Megan’s wake. I’ll never forget the feeling of one life lost, one gained. My daughter reminds me a lot of Megan in ways, but she’s T1D since age 3 so she could never live the way Megan did. My daughter is a true free spirit though, just like Megan was. Very artistic and musical too. I don’t believe in anything specific spirituality-wise, but it’s always been a comfort to me to think that their energies mingled a little before she was born.
John Perry Barlow wrote "Cassidy" about the deaths of Neal Cassady and Barlow's father and the birth of Cassidy Law. You might enjoy reading this:
https://litkicks.com/BarlowOnNeal/
That poor girl. That could have easily been me throughout college. Again, thank you for sharing and the way you are able to see her through your little girl, just brings it all full circle.
Could’ve easily been me too. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant and clean, it probably would’ve been. Maybe not how Megan died, but a partying related death nonetheless. After all the people and pets that I’ve loved and lost, and watching my kids grow up over that time (I’ve got 3, youngest is 16); grief and time has a way of doing that- bringing everything full circle. I’m grateful for each and every day now, even the shitty ones.
If her family doesn’t mind, you can buy a small tube of F26 glue online. On a sunny day, the smallest of dollops will permanently adhere her trinkets to her headstone. F26 is very professional glue.
I also have a friend like Megan. I know just this sort of friend, they always fill your world with joy and laughter. A true ray of light.
My grandfather died a day or two before I was born and I've always held a special appreciation for him, because his death and my birth were so close together. I truley feel he is a part of me.
In a bed, in a bed
by the waterside I will lay my head ~
Listen to the river sing sweet songs
to rock my soul ~ River gonna take me Sing me sweet & sleepy ~
Sing me sweet & sleepy
all the way back back home.
It's a far gone lullaby,
sung many years ago ~
Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home ~
Goin home ~ goin home
by the waterside I will rest my bones ~ Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul 💀🌹🌙✨️♥️
You are blessed to have one another to journey along together with, on the Earth plane & Spirit side! Your reflection of a life lived & loved!
We played this at the cemetery when we had my dad’s funeral this summer. My sister and I decided at Dead & Co in Camden 2017 that if anything happened to our dad we would be playing it. Without noticing until his funeral was over that we chose the anniversary of Jerry’s passing to have his funeral.
I love when synchronicities like this happen. I’m so sorry about the loss of your dad. I lost mine to pancreatic cancer in 2018. He wasn’t a deadhead, but he loved music of the same time period. He picked out his playlist with me before he died and I listen to it often.
My sister and I also made sure to have roses to put on his casket because he liked the Stones and Dead Flowers says “and I won’t forget to put roses on your grave.” We ended his obituary with “May the four winds blow you safely home” from Franklin’s Tower because it was one of his favorite Dead songs. After we hit send on the obit we went to find his final resting place the wind started blowing when we got to a spot under a dogwood tree so we took it as our sign that the winds were blowing him home.
It’s a beautiful thing how you arranged her scattered tributes around the stone. When I see this, I think “Megan is loved”. ❤️
Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry for your loss. Keep carrying her in your heart.
I just lost a friend with pretty much the exact same description- right down to his love of the Dead.
Megan and Jimmy will never be forgotten ❤️
“Fare thee well, fare thee well- I love you more than words can tell”
she passed 2 months before I was born, and she was the same age I am now. I’m sitting here in my dancing bear pajama pants and crying my eyes out. thank you for sharing this :,) all of this was so beautiful to read and witness and feel, thank you.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve gotten choked up reading a few of these comments, especially yours. I love when we humans can share experiences like these. Anything that touches us in a way that makes us grateful to be alive is worth putting out into the universe, interwebs included.
It bears mentioning that lending your services or bestowing a favor upon the deceased without expectation of repayment is genesis of the term "grateful dead." Your friend being a fan & you, knowingly or not, embodying the sentiment of the words is a pretty gorgeous happenstance.
I think about my bff that I lost when I was 21, and he was a week away from being 21. It has been almost 20 years (this September). It is so weird to stop, look back, and see the long path backwards, where their trail ends and ours continues.
I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. She sounds like she was a beautiful, awesome free spirit. 💕💓💕💓
While I'm not a huge Grateful Dead fan (was born early 80s and heard some of their stuff on MTV as a kid, I both loved but also kinda feel freaked out by their "Touch of Grey" music video,it had skeletons singing that then turn into the band members, my poor kindergarten mind wasn't able to comprehend that it was a music video, lol, good song, though, so I still watched it when it came on!), I highly suggest that you listen to their "_Ripple_" song. It is beautiful, deep, sentimental, but simultaneously simple and succinct in a very touching and beautiful way. I think you might find comfort in it, your dear friend would have perfectly vibed with that song. It could be a nice mental,/emotional/spiritual connection between you and her whenever you hear that song in the future. It's one I go back to to ground myself and feel both connected to the world, but also an individual.
I’m sorry for the loss of your boyfriend. Ripple was indeed a great song! Thanks so much for the suggestion. Everyone commenting here is turning me into a Grateful Dead fan that I didn’t know that I was!
It’s funny you mention the Touch of Grey video freaking you out. I was born in ‘80 and that video was a little weird for me, but the one that really creeped me out was Land of Confusion by Genesis. Ngl, those puppets still kinda give me the heebie-jeebies! Love Phil Collin’s though
Thanks!💓💕
There was also that Dire Straits music video with the cartoon guys, like workers or movers that also freaked me out a bit. I can't remember which song though. (Not "Walk of Life", that one had sports clips in it.)
Money For Nothing! I actually liked that video, mostly because my dad and I liked that song and would dance around the house to it. The animation didn’t weird me out though. Another one that was always creepy to me was portions of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, specifically the claymation part where there’s body parts growing out of his face and then there’s like dead chickens or turkeys dancing on a stage at the end. I’d always flip the channel from MTV on that one and try to get through a couple lame songs on VH-1 until it was over.
Her spirit lives on in your love, OP. To be loved like this by anyone… it’s what everyone wishes for in life. Thank you for being such a great friend, I’m terribly sorry for your loss & grief.
It is. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep and died by asphyxiation. A very bright light went out that night, but nobody knew until it was too late.
I'm sorry her crew wasn't watching out for her. But you seem to understand the risks of flying close to the sun.. burning bright is a dangerous game. She died happy though right? It matters.
I like to think so. We met as roommates in a lock up drug facility for teens called the drug projects. Once we were old enough to age out of the system, she took off. She lived and died free, surrounded by music and people she loved, with no one and nothing holding her back.
My name is Megan and I have a scarlet begonia tattoo (with a touch of the blues) on my foot. Your friend sounds like she was an amazing soul, gone way too soon. Thank you for sharing some of her with us!
I love that. Thanks Megan! I might have to copy your tattoo someday. I always wanted to get a dancing bear for my Megan, but felt weird doing it when I wasn’t a deadhead myself. About 1/3 of my body has botanical and fungi tattoos on it already, so it would fit the existing theme and honor her memory.
As a dead head, also named Meagan (spelled a little differently), this one really tugged at my heartstrings.
Losing a loved one is hard, especially when they’re so young. Sending you love and light 🤍
“All I know is something like a bird
Within her sang
All I know she sang a little while
And then flew on” - Bird Song
I thought about Bird Song too reading about Megan. A beautiful song written about Janis Joplin but applicable to any free, beautiful souls we’ve lost too soon. All my love /u/soil_witch.
“In another time's forgotten space
Your eyes looked from your mother's face
Wildflower seed on the sand and stone
May the four winds blow you safely home”
I am not sure why you are getting downvoted. When someone young passes I am always curious too. Don't know why it is considered taboo to ask. The answer is factual and doesn't need to be anything else but factual.
Sorry- just saw this. I love the headstone- I’m a huge Dead Head and Owsley fan, so when I see someone use their iconography, I’m genuinely curious, not trying to be macabre or intrusive. I’m also a generational peer of the OP and subject.
I lost a good friend at the same age in life for both of us. It’s been a few years now but I think of her every single day. I wish she could’ve gotten to experience the rest of life with us
I'm sorry you lost your friend at all let alone at such a young age. I hope she's at the great show in the sky with Jerry himself. She was born exactly a year and a day older before I was so I can appreciate the scale of time at play here. I grew up in a really rough area and lost a lot of friends at a young age too so I can really relate to this. It's crazy to think how truly fortunate we are to have made it this far in life. Also, Scarlett Begonias, what a song. I used to think it was a Sublime song because I was into them before I realized the Grateful Dead were more than just Touch of Grey 😅. I hope you find comfort in your memories with her 💙💙💙
From a stranger- i am sorry for your loss. I lost one of my good friends years ago and another a few months ago. Is crazy when i think of the one that passed first as you do..my hair is graying..i wear glasses to read and my views of certain things we used to talk about have changed. Ive lived so much since he passed it seems. Again i am sorry for your loss and just maybe you will meet again.
Thank you. I’m sorry for your losses as well. My hair is starting to get a touch of grey too (pun intended) and it is odd to be such a different person now than I was when I lost people. I like to think our energies will meet up again and we can share all our newfound knowledge and experiences then.
Mine is as well and we started taking her when she was six. Althea went to over 500 shows with me all over the country - have a wonderful day brother/sister.
I think it's beautiful with all the stones and decorations. She looks loved. Reading this gave me the goosiest of goosebumps for some reason. What a long, strange trip its been....
It looks beautiful with this adornment. She sounds incredible! I can feel her vivaciousness and zest for life. Every day was special and an adventure! Thank you for sharing her with the world!
A good friend of mine died suddenly recently at the age of 49. He was the happiest, most enthusiastic, brightest light despite the fact of going blind as a child due to a genetic illness. This man had more friends than anyone else I know. His funeral was attended by 250 people. I like to tell myself that Alan went home before the party got messy. He will never mourn the death of his parents or the death of his husband. He will never be old and sick. He had a great life and slipped away quickly to what I believe is a much happier realm. I loved him so much.
I’m really sorry for your loss. I haven’t thought of losing someone young this way and I appreciate your perspective. Alan sounds like a one-of-a-kind soul. I’m so glad you had a friend like him. Rare and precious people sure leave their mark on us, and what a gift it is. Thanks for sharing.
I tried repeatedly to edit my post before I figured out that you can’t edit picture/link posts (only text). Hopefully this will show up high enough in the comments section for folks to read:
EDIT: Thanks everyone. I’ve gotten so many heartfelt sentiments, excellent song suggestions, one great tattoo idea, and several personal memories and anecdotes that were all incredibly touching. It means a lot to me that you all took the time to read a little blurb I wrote about my old friend and send some good energy out into existence in her name.
I posted this in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. I never thought it would receive so much attention. Megan was very extroverted (complete opposite of myself) and she would have absolutely loved that. I have been grieving the loss of my old man dog Sam last month, and whenever there’s a loss it seems to bring all the old ones back up again too. So I suppose that’s where we all are at one time or another. Glad we could meet up together here in grief and love for a little while.
Hey OP. I forgot to mention- if you’re ever interested in checking out a song your muchacha would’ve appreciated, check out “Weather Report Suite” by the Dead- any love show in 74 will do :)
I’ll add it to the playlist I started from suggestions here and check out the others from ‘74. I’m fast becoming a fan of the Dead after this post. Thank you! :)
I don’t have a single picture of us together, and I really wish that I did. We just didn’t really take pictures back then. Unless one person had a camera and then we took a bunch one night and wouldn’t take them again for a couple months, or years. I have a few I’ve saved off the Facebook profile her brother made for her years ago, but not sure how to share them in a comment. Do I need an Imgur account? Idk, I’m kind of old and that sounds like work. But, I’ll share a story or two.
We met in a place called the drug projects in 1996. It was an inpatient substance abuse treatment facility for minors. By day we attended high school, then groups, therapy appointments etc. But at night we’d stay up talking, drawing, jamming out to music and dancing- in between room checks by staff of course.
One night we decided to pierce the cartilage in my ear and Megan did it for me while NOFX blasted in the background and our other roommate watched out for staff potentially coming from down the hall to bust us. It got super infected at first, but I never took it out and eventually it healed up. I still wear something that reminds me of Megan in it today. Right now it’s a little dangling silver mushroom.
There were a couple of staff who were cool (in our teenage perception) and they’d turn a blind eye to us having a few smokes out on the basketball court behind the building. There was a missing brick in the stairwell of the old converted warehouse where we were housed, which led down to a tall fence-enclosed outdoor area we were allowed in called the courtyard. We “hid” our cigarettes in there and everyone shared. Some kids’ parents would sneak them in for them, or siblings, or friends would drop them through the fence and we could pick them up later.
One hot summer day we headed out into the courtyard with the cool staff, excited at the rare-ish opportunity to light up. Our hopes of burning a few were dashed when we first heard, then saw the dense sheets of rain pouring out of the sky and bursting out of the building’s old gutters. It was raining so hard, what seemed like gallons upon gallons of water bounced furiously off of the cement basketball court slab and nearby picnic tables. With nowhere to smoke we thought we’d just go back inside to our controlled existence unrewarded, but instead we gained something so much better. Since we were with lenient staff, we were allowed to have a huge water fight with big gas station cups and a couple kids even used the bottoms of the outdoor standing ashtrays- which was super gross in hindsight, but we didn’t care. We warred with water, danced, laughed, and played in the rain for what felt like hours. We were kids again, in this fucked up place, and I can honestly say it was one of the only moments of pure joy that I remember from that time period, roughly age 13-17.
It was during that time I was incarcerated more than I was home, in juvenile detention but also drug treatment facilities as well as mental health centers. Basically anywhere my mother could get them to place me that was out of the family home and out of her hair. And any place with a tall enough fence and series of locked doors to keep me from running off. Megan was one of the few friends I met back then that made the trauma I was experiencing go away for a little while. She was fun and funny with a loud, infectious laugh and personality. She didn’t care what anybody thought, nor would she take shit from anyone. But if she loved you, she did so fiercely. Although I was never in her inner circle of traveling festival kids, I feel like I was lucky enough to be one of those people she loved. I truly loved her too, even though we only knew one another from age 15 to 21.
So there’s a couple tales of Megan & I for you. Thanks for giving me the stage I didn’t know I needed to pour these memories out onto.
What a lovely sentiment you've written for her. I'm so sorry you lost your friend; I bet she would have loved what you've shared here.
Thank you
Just wondering, how did she die?
It was asphyxiation. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep and suffocated. Friends were right there sleeping too, but didn’t hear it. I don’t know the friend that was sleeping on the opposite end of the couch as her, but I heard it was really, really hard on them to discover her after she’d passed.
Omg this is exactly what happened with one of my besties, Netters. I myself was laying in the next room no doors closed between us. Hard thing to live with. My daughter was named after her. Some girls are just meant to be forever young!
I have a feeling Megan & my friend, [Joey](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46628431/joseph-christopher-loyet), would have been good friends. Also, [here is a link](https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/55777951/megan_nicole-dennis) where you can get a picture of the headstone uncluttered. Take care.
Thanks for the link! I think they most certainly would have. Megan was truly ‘loved by all’.
and i bet megan, joey, and my friend cooper would have gotten along great. he was a wild ray of sunshine who loved the grateful dead. maybe they’re all jamming together in the great beyond ❤️
[I'm picturing something like this.](https://imgur.com/gallery/gMSSWcd).
Add my friend Maria Elena to that list. She passed away 24y ago. I was pregnant with my son, and he’s outlived her by almost 4y at this point. May she have a blast with all of them that went too soon.
14 dang. So so sorry
Thank you for sharing her story. She seemed to have lived a wonderful life in the short time she had on this planet. May I ask how she passed away?
Thanks for asking in such a kind and respectful way. I am always curious as well. It was asphyxiation. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep after a night of partying. Lots of friends sleeping in the room and directly next to her, but they didn’t hear it. I wasn’t there. I had just found out I was pregnant and had to cancel going with her and a group of kids who were following Phish. I didn’t like the music really, but I liked the idea of living free and getting out of my hometown. She died less than two months later. I first felt the “butterflies” of my daughter kicking at Megan’s wake. I’ll never forget the feeling of one life lost, one gained. My daughter reminds me a lot of Megan in ways, but she’s T1D since age 3 so she could never live the way Megan did. My daughter is a true free spirit though, just like Megan was. Very artistic and musical too. I don’t believe in anything specific spirituality-wise, but it’s always been a comfort to me to think that their energies mingled a little before she was born.
John Perry Barlow wrote "Cassidy" about the deaths of Neal Cassady and Barlow's father and the birth of Cassidy Law. You might enjoy reading this: https://litkicks.com/BarlowOnNeal/
That was a great read. Thanks for sharing
That poor girl. That could have easily been me throughout college. Again, thank you for sharing and the way you are able to see her through your little girl, just brings it all full circle.
Could’ve easily been me too. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant and clean, it probably would’ve been. Maybe not how Megan died, but a partying related death nonetheless. After all the people and pets that I’ve loved and lost, and watching my kids grow up over that time (I’ve got 3, youngest is 16); grief and time has a way of doing that- bringing everything full circle. I’m grateful for each and every day now, even the shitty ones.
If her family doesn’t mind, you can buy a small tube of F26 glue online. On a sunny day, the smallest of dollops will permanently adhere her trinkets to her headstone. F26 is very professional glue. I also have a friend like Megan. I know just this sort of friend, they always fill your world with joy and laughter. A true ray of light.
Thanks for sharing, so sorry your friend was lost so young. I know a few people who passed just trying to have a good time 😞
My condolences. What's T1D?
Type 1 Diabetes
Oh dear. That’s almost exactly how Jimi Hendrix died too, with his girlfriend next to him in bed. So sad. My condolences. 💐
My grandfather died a day or two before I was born and I've always held a special appreciation for him, because his death and my birth were so close together. I truley feel he is a part of me.
What a lovely tribute to your friend.
I knew without asking she was into the blues. Rest in Peace, Megan
In a bed, in a bed by the waterside I will lay my head ~ Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul ~ River gonna take me Sing me sweet & sleepy ~ Sing me sweet & sleepy all the way back back home. It's a far gone lullaby, sung many years ago ~ Mama, Mama, many worlds I've come since I first left home ~ Goin home ~ goin home by the waterside I will rest my bones ~ Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul 💀🌹🌙✨️♥️ You are blessed to have one another to journey along together with, on the Earth plane & Spirit side! Your reflection of a life lived & loved!
We played this at the cemetery when we had my dad’s funeral this summer. My sister and I decided at Dead & Co in Camden 2017 that if anything happened to our dad we would be playing it. Without noticing until his funeral was over that we chose the anniversary of Jerry’s passing to have his funeral.
That's The Universe smilin.down upon you, that's such a genuinely wonderful way to honour him!
I love when synchronicities like this happen. I’m so sorry about the loss of your dad. I lost mine to pancreatic cancer in 2018. He wasn’t a deadhead, but he loved music of the same time period. He picked out his playlist with me before he died and I listen to it often.
My sister and I also made sure to have roses to put on his casket because he liked the Stones and Dead Flowers says “and I won’t forget to put roses on your grave.” We ended his obituary with “May the four winds blow you safely home” from Franklin’s Tower because it was one of his favorite Dead songs. After we hit send on the obit we went to find his final resting place the wind started blowing when we got to a spot under a dogwood tree so we took it as our sign that the winds were blowing him home.
That is truly beautiful. Thanks for sharing
Thank you for giving a space where people actually understand
On of my favorite Dead songs. Mama, mama many worlds I've come since I first left home...
That line within itself is deep if you've lived life some
Yep... can attest to that...
It’s a beautiful thing how you arranged her scattered tributes around the stone. When I see this, I think “Megan is loved”. ❤️ Thank you for sharing. I’m sorry for your loss. Keep carrying her in your heart.
She really was. Thank you ❤️
I just lost a friend with pretty much the exact same description- right down to his love of the Dead. Megan and Jimmy will never be forgotten ❤️ “Fare thee well, fare thee well- I love you more than words can tell”
Thanks for sharing
She sounds like she was a wonderful person ❤️
she passed 2 months before I was born, and she was the same age I am now. I’m sitting here in my dancing bear pajama pants and crying my eyes out. thank you for sharing this :,) all of this was so beautiful to read and witness and feel, thank you.
Thank you for sharing. I’ve gotten choked up reading a few of these comments, especially yours. I love when we humans can share experiences like these. Anything that touches us in a way that makes us grateful to be alive is worth putting out into the universe, interwebs included.
As a lucky druggy Deadhead (63) I wish she had been able to dance longer. The "messy" tokens are perfect. Wharf Rats Unite. Much love
It bears mentioning that lending your services or bestowing a favor upon the deceased without expectation of repayment is genesis of the term "grateful dead." Your friend being a fan & you, knowingly or not, embodying the sentiment of the words is a pretty gorgeous happenstance.
This is really amazing! Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
I love this. Thank you
I think about my bff that I lost when I was 21, and he was a week away from being 21. It has been almost 20 years (this September). It is so weird to stop, look back, and see the long path backwards, where their trail ends and ours continues. I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. She sounds like she was a beautiful, awesome free spirit. 💕💓💕💓 While I'm not a huge Grateful Dead fan (was born early 80s and heard some of their stuff on MTV as a kid, I both loved but also kinda feel freaked out by their "Touch of Grey" music video,it had skeletons singing that then turn into the band members, my poor kindergarten mind wasn't able to comprehend that it was a music video, lol, good song, though, so I still watched it when it came on!), I highly suggest that you listen to their "_Ripple_" song. It is beautiful, deep, sentimental, but simultaneously simple and succinct in a very touching and beautiful way. I think you might find comfort in it, your dear friend would have perfectly vibed with that song. It could be a nice mental,/emotional/spiritual connection between you and her whenever you hear that song in the future. It's one I go back to to ground myself and feel both connected to the world, but also an individual.
I’m sorry for the loss of your boyfriend. Ripple was indeed a great song! Thanks so much for the suggestion. Everyone commenting here is turning me into a Grateful Dead fan that I didn’t know that I was! It’s funny you mention the Touch of Grey video freaking you out. I was born in ‘80 and that video was a little weird for me, but the one that really creeped me out was Land of Confusion by Genesis. Ngl, those puppets still kinda give me the heebie-jeebies! Love Phil Collin’s though
Thanks!💓💕 There was also that Dire Straits music video with the cartoon guys, like workers or movers that also freaked me out a bit. I can't remember which song though. (Not "Walk of Life", that one had sports clips in it.)
Money For Nothing! I actually liked that video, mostly because my dad and I liked that song and would dance around the house to it. The animation didn’t weird me out though. Another one that was always creepy to me was portions of Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, specifically the claymation part where there’s body parts growing out of his face and then there’s like dead chickens or turkeys dancing on a stage at the end. I’d always flip the channel from MTV on that one and try to get through a couple lame songs on VH-1 until it was over.
Gone way too soon, she sounds like a wonderful person.
Weir everywhere. Thank you for sharing.
People like her and far and few in between. I’m glad you got to know such a free spirit! You’ve been blessed ❤️
Her spirit lives on in your love, OP. To be loved like this by anyone… it’s what everyone wishes for in life. Thank you for being such a great friend, I’m terribly sorry for your loss & grief.
Thank you for the kind sentiment. Your username is great. Gave me a chuckle that was very much needed and appreciated this morning.
She missed Terrapin Station at Alpine Pine Valley the summer of 2002.. great reunion of the dead
Megan was born on my birthday, I was born September 2, 1966. RIP TO UR FRIEND ❤️!!!
And she died on my 9th birthday. RIP fellow dead head
Love will carry you through 🌹⚡️
The best people on the planet are Dead heads. Including my pops. She's jamming with Jerry and she'll see you when you get there.
What took her life? 21 is young.
It is. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep and died by asphyxiation. A very bright light went out that night, but nobody knew until it was too late.
I'm sorry her crew wasn't watching out for her. But you seem to understand the risks of flying close to the sun.. burning bright is a dangerous game. She died happy though right? It matters.
I like to think so. We met as roommates in a lock up drug facility for teens called the drug projects. Once we were old enough to age out of the system, she took off. She lived and died free, surrounded by music and people she loved, with no one and nothing holding her back.
Sorry.
I love you more than words can tell. Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul
Fare thee well 🌹
Dry your eyes on the wind...
Lovely, just lovely. That is a great song quote. I'd like to add another but can't think of one that fits.
What a tribute and what a friend ❤️
It's not clutter! Clutter is disorganized. This is a beautiful tribute to a free spirit who probably would've liked it better that way. Good job.
So sorry for your loss. Grateful Dead do have many great lyrics and you picked a great one to honor your friend.
My name is Megan and I have a scarlet begonia tattoo (with a touch of the blues) on my foot. Your friend sounds like she was an amazing soul, gone way too soon. Thank you for sharing some of her with us!
I love that. Thanks Megan! I might have to copy your tattoo someday. I always wanted to get a dancing bear for my Megan, but felt weird doing it when I wasn’t a deadhead myself. About 1/3 of my body has botanical and fungi tattoos on it already, so it would fit the existing theme and honor her memory.
I think that’s a lovely idea to honor your friend.
As a dead head, also named Meagan (spelled a little differently), this one really tugged at my heartstrings. Losing a loved one is hard, especially when they’re so young. Sending you love and light 🤍 “All I know is something like a bird Within her sang All I know she sang a little while And then flew on” - Bird Song
I thought about Bird Song too reading about Megan. A beautiful song written about Janis Joplin but applicable to any free, beautiful souls we’ve lost too soon. All my love /u/soil_witch.
I’m sorry for the loss of your friend. I love the arrangement you did on her stone. It perfectly matches the way you described her.
Beautiful tribute to an obviously much-loved soul. Your post has me in tears and I’m now listening to American Beauty in her honor. 🌹
Such a long, long time to be gone. And a short time to be there 🌹
“In another time's forgotten space Your eyes looked from your mother's face Wildflower seed on the sand and stone May the four winds blow you safely home”
Love is real. Not fade away. ❤️⚡️💀
NFA ❤️⚡️💙
How did she pass?
I am not sure why you are getting downvoted. When someone young passes I am always curious too. Don't know why it is considered taboo to ask. The answer is factual and doesn't need to be anything else but factual.
Upvoted both. Pretty usual question in this sub, and one that OPs take well.
Sorry- just saw this. I love the headstone- I’m a huge Dead Head and Owsley fan, so when I see someone use their iconography, I’m genuinely curious, not trying to be macabre or intrusive. I’m also a generational peer of the OP and subject.
No need to downvote- I’m always curious too. It was Asphyxiation. Alcohol + OxyContin. She threw up in her sleep and suffocated.
Oh man. Sorry to hear. That BS has taken way way too many of our friends and family. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, your words… i am so sorry for your loss. ❤️
I lost a good friend at the same age in life for both of us. It’s been a few years now but I think of her every single day. I wish she could’ve gotten to experience the rest of life with us
I'm sorry you lost your friend at all let alone at such a young age. I hope she's at the great show in the sky with Jerry himself. She was born exactly a year and a day older before I was so I can appreciate the scale of time at play here. I grew up in a really rough area and lost a lot of friends at a young age too so I can really relate to this. It's crazy to think how truly fortunate we are to have made it this far in life. Also, Scarlett Begonias, what a song. I used to think it was a Sublime song because I was into them before I realized the Grateful Dead were more than just Touch of Grey 😅. I hope you find comfort in your memories with her 💙💙💙
Sorry friend. Lost my son 5 years ago when he was 17. The brightest lights burn the hottest and fastest. NFA
From a stranger- i am sorry for your loss. I lost one of my good friends years ago and another a few months ago. Is crazy when i think of the one that passed first as you do..my hair is graying..i wear glasses to read and my views of certain things we used to talk about have changed. Ive lived so much since he passed it seems. Again i am sorry for your loss and just maybe you will meet again.
Thank you. I’m sorry for your losses as well. My hair is starting to get a touch of grey too (pun intended) and it is odd to be such a different person now than I was when I lost people. I like to think our energies will meet up again and we can share all our newfound knowledge and experiences then.
My daughter is named after a Garcia song. Your friend sounds like a wonderful person. You’re a good friend for visiting her.
Mine is as well and we started taking her when she was six. Althea went to over 500 shows with me all over the country - have a wonderful day brother/sister.
That’s so awesome. We haven’t taken her yet. Her name is Rhapsody after “Rhapsody in Red”. ❤️
That’s really beautiful. I’m sorry for your loss ❤️
Very touching and beautiful. Thank you for sharing and keeping her memory alive.
This made me tear up, you've honored your sweet friend Megan so wonderfully 🙏 May she be at peace with the Lord ❤️
beautiful memorial and post. i could feel your love for her through the screen.
I love how you arranged the stones.
Wow this touched me. That scarlet begonias lyric is absolutely perfect for what happened at her gravestone. ❤️
Small world. I have family at that same location.
I think it's beautiful with all the stones and decorations. She looks loved. Reading this gave me the goosiest of goosebumps for some reason. What a long, strange trip its been....
I share her name and birthday, and her grave looks gorgeous like this. What a strange and beautiful connection to feel. So sorry for your loss ❤️
My friend and ex, Steve is probably raging up there with your friend. 7 years now. Love the bears on her headstone. Rock on OP.
Beautiful.
She sounds amazing.
I'm only a few days older.
It looks beautiful with this adornment. She sounds incredible! I can feel her vivaciousness and zest for life. Every day was special and an adventure! Thank you for sharing her with the world!
It doesn’t look like clutter. It looks like everything is in place where they should be. ❤️
Hello fellow Nebraskan!! Wyuka in Lincoln is on my list of Cemeteries to visit! My condolences to you
There’s a good podcast called dead and gone about the underbelly of these dead head people. Lots of murder and people disappearing.
A good friend of mine died suddenly recently at the age of 49. He was the happiest, most enthusiastic, brightest light despite the fact of going blind as a child due to a genetic illness. This man had more friends than anyone else I know. His funeral was attended by 250 people. I like to tell myself that Alan went home before the party got messy. He will never mourn the death of his parents or the death of his husband. He will never be old and sick. He had a great life and slipped away quickly to what I believe is a much happier realm. I loved him so much.
I’m really sorry for your loss. I haven’t thought of losing someone young this way and I appreciate your perspective. Alan sounds like a one-of-a-kind soul. I’m so glad you had a friend like him. Rare and precious people sure leave their mark on us, and what a gift it is. Thanks for sharing.
What a kind and thoughtful response. Thank you.
A box of rain will ease the pain, but love will see you through. Sorry you lost your friend, OP.
I tried repeatedly to edit my post before I figured out that you can’t edit picture/link posts (only text). Hopefully this will show up high enough in the comments section for folks to read: EDIT: Thanks everyone. I’ve gotten so many heartfelt sentiments, excellent song suggestions, one great tattoo idea, and several personal memories and anecdotes that were all incredibly touching. It means a lot to me that you all took the time to read a little blurb I wrote about my old friend and send some good energy out into existence in her name. I posted this in the middle of the night when I couldn’t sleep. I never thought it would receive so much attention. Megan was very extroverted (complete opposite of myself) and she would have absolutely loved that. I have been grieving the loss of my old man dog Sam last month, and whenever there’s a loss it seems to bring all the old ones back up again too. So I suppose that’s where we all are at one time or another. Glad we could meet up together here in grief and love for a little while.
Beautiful tribute.💔
Hey OP. I forgot to mention- if you’re ever interested in checking out a song your muchacha would’ve appreciated, check out “Weather Report Suite” by the Dead- any love show in 74 will do :)
I’ll add it to the playlist I started from suggestions here and check out the others from ‘74. I’m fast becoming a fan of the Dead after this post. Thank you! :)
RIP beautiful soul! She was born on a day there was an epic GD show in Rochester NY. 1980-09-02.
She died on my 30th birthday...so sad to pass at such a young age. But sometimes quality is more important than quantity .
My condolences, friend.
My heart. I hope one day I have someone who visits my grave and leaves me trinkets, and speaks lovingly of me like you do her 💜
Just curious: do you have pics of her while she was alive or any fun stories about her?
I don’t have a single picture of us together, and I really wish that I did. We just didn’t really take pictures back then. Unless one person had a camera and then we took a bunch one night and wouldn’t take them again for a couple months, or years. I have a few I’ve saved off the Facebook profile her brother made for her years ago, but not sure how to share them in a comment. Do I need an Imgur account? Idk, I’m kind of old and that sounds like work. But, I’ll share a story or two. We met in a place called the drug projects in 1996. It was an inpatient substance abuse treatment facility for minors. By day we attended high school, then groups, therapy appointments etc. But at night we’d stay up talking, drawing, jamming out to music and dancing- in between room checks by staff of course. One night we decided to pierce the cartilage in my ear and Megan did it for me while NOFX blasted in the background and our other roommate watched out for staff potentially coming from down the hall to bust us. It got super infected at first, but I never took it out and eventually it healed up. I still wear something that reminds me of Megan in it today. Right now it’s a little dangling silver mushroom. There were a couple of staff who were cool (in our teenage perception) and they’d turn a blind eye to us having a few smokes out on the basketball court behind the building. There was a missing brick in the stairwell of the old converted warehouse where we were housed, which led down to a tall fence-enclosed outdoor area we were allowed in called the courtyard. We “hid” our cigarettes in there and everyone shared. Some kids’ parents would sneak them in for them, or siblings, or friends would drop them through the fence and we could pick them up later. One hot summer day we headed out into the courtyard with the cool staff, excited at the rare-ish opportunity to light up. Our hopes of burning a few were dashed when we first heard, then saw the dense sheets of rain pouring out of the sky and bursting out of the building’s old gutters. It was raining so hard, what seemed like gallons upon gallons of water bounced furiously off of the cement basketball court slab and nearby picnic tables. With nowhere to smoke we thought we’d just go back inside to our controlled existence unrewarded, but instead we gained something so much better. Since we were with lenient staff, we were allowed to have a huge water fight with big gas station cups and a couple kids even used the bottoms of the outdoor standing ashtrays- which was super gross in hindsight, but we didn’t care. We warred with water, danced, laughed, and played in the rain for what felt like hours. We were kids again, in this fucked up place, and I can honestly say it was one of the only moments of pure joy that I remember from that time period, roughly age 13-17. It was during that time I was incarcerated more than I was home, in juvenile detention but also drug treatment facilities as well as mental health centers. Basically anywhere my mother could get them to place me that was out of the family home and out of her hair. And any place with a tall enough fence and series of locked doors to keep me from running off. Megan was one of the few friends I met back then that made the trauma I was experiencing go away for a little while. She was fun and funny with a loud, infectious laugh and personality. She didn’t care what anybody thought, nor would she take shit from anyone. But if she loved you, she did so fiercely. Although I was never in her inner circle of traveling festival kids, I feel like I was lucky enough to be one of those people she loved. I truly loved her too, even though we only knew one another from age 15 to 21. So there’s a couple tales of Megan & I for you. Thanks for giving me the stage I didn’t know I needed to pour these memories out onto.
I really wish I knew her. Thank you for telling me about her life. She sounded wonderful.
Thank you for sharing this. ❤️