Robbi’s mom Seiko passed away suddenly on Monday morning, leaving us turned inside out and the world without a most remarkable person. She came from Japan to America when she was 25. She traveled the country and world before making a home in Chestertown. She had three amazing kids and became an internationally renowned Ikebana potter. She was a beloved fixture of our community.
She was a person of vitality and light. She was a spectacular artist. She was welcoming and gracious. Her eyes were full of joy. Her heart was full of love. I’ve received so many emails over the last few days from people telling me that, to them, Seiko was like a second mother. This is also how I feel.
We wanted to share the news with those of you who knew and loved her. The family respectfully asks that instead of food or flowers you spend a moment remembering Seiko, letting her live on in your thoughts. She was our friend, mother, and wife—and Oba to my babies. If you have a memory of Seiko and would like to share it here, we would be so happy to hear it.
We love you Seiko. We miss you and thank you for everything that you have given us. There was no one like you. And never will be again. We love you. We love you so much.
I am so very sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you all.
I’d just heard this yesterday, and it sunk my heart. I was just thinking a few days ago about the time that my sisters and I had spent the day at the kiln making pottery and all sorts of random things out of clay with her (back around ’96 or ’97 or so), and how that’d be a lot of fun to do again sometime. Really going to miss her. One of the finest examples of humanity I’ve ever had the chance to know.
I’m so, so sorry.
I’m so sorry.
I’m just an anonymous reader–I found your blog through the Slate series, and have just fallen in love with your travels, your art, and your delightful narratives. So today I feel very deeply for you. Sending much love (from a stranger). Celebrate her and mourn her. In times like these, they’re hard to tell apart.
I am so so sorry. As a longtime blog reader but not someone who knows your personally, this is a beautiful tribute but one I wish hadn’t been written. Again, I am so sorry.
I was thinking about your mom just Sunday evening as I lit a candle in one of the candle holders she made for your wedding. They have always been my favorites and cast such beautiful patterns of light around the room. I only met her that one time, but will remember her always.
This is such sad news. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Seiko and was looking forward to meeting her one day. :( So sorry for your loss.
We are heartbroken for you and your family. Please pass our condolences on to Robbi and Bob. I imagine it has made Robbi’s birthday particularly difficult this year. I know that you have an amazing support system much closer than us but please know that we would always do whatever we could to help.
Rebecca
A friend of mum’s told her, and she told us about Seiko. We did not want to believe it was true. We are so much richer for knowing all of you guys, and you are so dear to us, the thought of you dealing with this rude loss tears at us. Hearing the news thirdhand, we neither knew whether it was true or how to extend our sympathies. Thank you for the tribute to her posted on idiotsbooks. It was a kindness to all of us far away and unsure. Of course I add my love and sympathies to Rebecca’s.
Piers
I’m so sorry for your loss.
As the tears fall…I am thinking of you all, wishing you peace and serenity.
I’m so sorry to hear this!
Here I sit and cry and dont want to believe it.
I remember this crazy summer in Alaska back in 1995 it must have been. Seiko was such a wonderful person who made everybody laugh in the nicest way. I remember her friendliness and warmth. And her great meals. And jokes. I always thought that some time I will come over to Maryland and see you all – and meet Seiko again.
Boah – this is so sad. Feel hugged, especially Robbi and Bob – and all of you. y thoughts are with you.
Nina
love you guys.
Her remarkable character came through in what was written about her here, even to someone who had never met her.
Really sorry to hear the news, guys. All best wishes to Robbi and the entire Behr family.
My most heartfelt condolences to all of you.
I still can’t believe it. Your world of friends and family, readers and strangers, hold you in our hearts and figurative arms during this world turned upside down time. I am so sorry, again, for such a sudden loss. There is no way to prepare for a shock like this–it makes no sense, even to my brain, and I only met her once. But I know you two and the love that fills your lives every day for your families, your kids, your stories, your journeys, the absurd. I am so sad Seiko’s journey with you all ended now. Its completely absurd. I am thinking about you all constantly.
in a tiny rural town, far from any semblance of the far flung world out there, coming to Seiko & Bob’s house as a kid opened my world to cultures and lives i would have never have encountered, let alone, understood without them… patient and funny, she gave us a taste, literally and figuratively of what the whole world could be like…
for her, and her family, i am still grateful..
I am so sorry. She was too young. I’m thinking about you all.
I will miss her generous smile and kind words. I was, and more so now, reminded of Seiko daily as I use the vessels she made with her hands. My heart breaks for her family.
What an amazing person. Since I heard, I’ve been thinking back on so many fun times we had at the Behr’s as kids. From having our first sushi made with hot dogs, to Mrs. Behr helping us make a giant gold flower pot for OM, and so many other fun times. The thing is, there were only good times with your mom. She always found the joy in everything. She was smart and funny and cared about everybody. The world has lost an amazing person, and my thoughts are with you all.
Jodi
I’ll always remember how fascinating it was to watch her work when she opened her studio for the studio tours. Her kindness, and her focus and her art.
I’m so, so sorry for your loss.
I cannot remember any moment of childhood before knowing the Behrs (although I do remember when Robbi was born). Seiko introduced me to “kiln” and “pottery,” helped me make my first vase, roasted pumpkin seeds when Maiko and I played restaurant, made the best salmon spread ever, allowed us to make homemade donuts, delighted with her inimitable smile, and seemed like a discreet yet fiery force of life. Auntie Seiko, thank you. To Uncle Bob, Maiko, Roji, Robbi and Matthew, and the kids: I send my affection and love.
Oh no, how awful! And how heartbreaking for you all. Much sympathy.
she was and is a bright, bright spirit, and will most definitely live on in the hearts of many whom she touched, me included. she is not gone. LOVE to you, robbi, the babies and all your family. if there is anything i can do, don’t hesitate to ask.
I am so sorry for your loss.
“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
My heart is with you all.
love you guys;)
gina and i wish to express our deepest sympathies for your loss.
Dear Ones,
When I heard this sorrowful news, I couldn’t believe it. Sweet Seiko always had a smile for everyone. I cannot express how sad I feel. I go by the studio and feel so sad, so inadequate to be of any help. My heart goes out to Bob, Robbi and siblings, and Matthew, Aldan, and Kato.
Thank you, Matthew, for your beautiful and comforting words.
If only she had more time and we could have got to know her better. But we know that her light and spirit continues to shine through her family. We love you guy’s and are truly sorry for your loss. The Robinson’s…. Justin, Asa, Quela, John & Mary
I had to come out from lurker-land to send my condolences to your family. Even though I don’t know any of you personally, it still chilled me to the bone to see the title of this post. So sudden. I can’t imagine how hard this must be for all of you. Take heart in knowing that her spirit is already living on in your family, and in all of the other families that she has touched.
My deepest condolences
I remember staying with you upstairs in the barn one time. Matthew and Robbi, you guys had gone out or were busy, so I was alone for a second. All of a sudden, I heard an intense, shocking scream. So I went downstairs to investigate. There was Seiko, in her studio, furious at how a Sumo match had turned out. She used to watch them on tape. I loved that. It didn’t matter that they weren’t the latest matches. She just loved the sport. And she loved Japan. So she watched Sumo with the same passion she brought to her art and to her children, a passion that made you want to drop whatever you were doing, come downstairs, draw close to her, and investigate.
I loved Seiko and am so grateful that I knew her. She was the best and I know we will keep her memory alive forever.
My thoughts and my love are with you and your whole wonderful family.
Seiko was such a vibrant soul. Her creativity and her smile touched so many people. Our hearts go out to the whole family, who among many others will miss her dearly. We love you guys and are so very sorry for your loss… Eric & Heather Blind
We are former Chestertown residents who now live in Santa Fe, NM. We met Seiko and Bob more than 20 years ago and have been collecting Seiko’s works ever since. Among our treasured pieces is one of her very large “mountains” that took her several years to produce for us because she kept rejecting the glaze and redoing it. It was worth the wait! Almost every room in our home has at least one of Seiko’s pieces, and in addition, we have a wonderful painting by Robbi that hangs over our Bob Ortiz bed. Our hearts go out to Bob and all of you. If you are ever in New Mexico, we hope you will visit. Seiko’s presence will always be alive in our home as well as in our hearts. We adored her.
I want to add my voice of love and appreciation for Seiko, for Bob, and for all the Behrs and all their relations. Having just heard this news, and feeling the tears on my face, I find myself asking where the feeling comes from, why the acute sense of loss for a woman I am sad to say I did not know well. And it feels immediately clear to me that she was a soul so sharpened and alive that, in the times we met, her presence stabbed me with light and life, and that all the times I passed through her studio, I felt the same shimmering. I realize now that, in ways I never before took real stock of, how much she was a fixture in my imagination, a singular embodiment of so many things I yearn for, not only for my own sake, but for the world: that we can travel far with courage and zest and still find home; that we can make art of fantastic originality and remain fiercely and gently present to the people we love. I also know that Robbi, and Matthew too, have been raised and loved and supported so fully by Seiko that all of us who have been loved and supported by them — whose hearts are enlarged by their friendship — carry her with us, too.
With you in affection and grief.
Josh
My God, I’m sad to hear this. Seiko made an indelible impression on me each time I met her–so kind and wise and fun. I loved her smile and her beautiful pottery and I wish I’d know her better. I can only imagine the profound loss you must feel. My heart is bleeding for you. Love, Lea
I found a single flower to place in the vase Seiko made. It sits on a windowsill above my kitchen sink. I think I’ll keep flowers in this vase for a long while.
Whenever I think of Seiko, all I can see is her smile. It is hard to think of her, even now, without being warmed by the thought of that amazing smile.
Without a doubt, the world is none the better for our loss of this fantastic woman.
Seiko was a phenomenal person. She will be greatly missed.
Robbi and Matt
Many thoughts go to you– she sounded quite wonderful and we wish we had met. I see how how energy has graced you both– Hope we can meet soon. Love, Bret and Jill and family.
I would like to send you my love and support. I met Seiko at Tracy and Roji’s wedding and was struck by her amazing and generous spirit. I cherish the vase she gave to me as a guest. Much love,
Sylvie Nalezny
Dear Family of Friends, My heart aches with sadness as I think of Seiko’s passing. As I close my eyes, I see her against the bluest of blue skies being kissed by tender white blossoms that are falling all around her. She is beaming in pure bliss and freedom. She looks like love. I remember meeting Seiko at Roji and Tracy’s wedding and being struck by her beauty, grace, and warmth, and I saw wisdom within her. She seemed so calm and strong. She offered a kind of assurance that all was right and well with the world, and it was my honor to share a few moments with her. I am sending my love to you.
Janis
Guys, we are so sorry to read about your loss. Thinking of you and your family, sending you love, and wishing you strength in this difficult time.
I’ve know Seiko since I was a kid and I can’t express how I feel. Dropping in on her at the studio over the years has always been a fond memory. She brought a lot of beauty into the world and a care for the details. There will definitely not be another like Seiko. My heart goes out to Bob, Roji, Robbi, Maiko, you and the grandchildren. Strength to everyone.