We hold these special lives in our loving memory:
In Loving Memory of Marylou ChurchillMarylou Churchill, co-founder of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, was not only a devoted mother but also my best friend. Her love and dedication shaped everything I do, and her spirit lives on in the work we do at Jungle Friends.
Mom was diagnosed with multiple myeloma cancer in July 1998 and passed away just two weeks later, finding peace at the Nathan Adelson Hospice.
She was the most giving, caring person I knew, and she touched the lives of everyone fortunate enough to know her. Throughout my life, Mom was always there for me—whether I was bringing home an abused pony, nursing a baby bird back to life, attending a Peace March, or moving into a Yoga Ashram, she was by my side, supporting my every decision (well almost).
I was fortunate to have had such a profound relationship with my mother. She instilled in me the courage to stand up for what I believed in and the confidence to face the challenges life presents. The greatest of those challenges was her death. I will miss her every single day of my life, but I take comfort in knowing that she is still with me in spirit.
I love you, Mom.
Beth, a dear friend to both Andrew and me, shared this poem to help ease the pain in my heart: “The times we’ve had are in our minds, The love is in our hearts, And there they’ll stay forever, Even though we’re far apart. And when we cry, it’s not for you, For we know that you’re safe. The tears we shed are for ourselves And the loss that we can’t face.” Andrew was the love of my life and my very best friend. For those of us fortunate enough to have shared in his life, we know our world will never be the same. I am endlessly grateful for the memories we created, the deep love we shared, and the laughter that filled our days. He was the most extraordinary person I’ve ever known—compassionate, loving, honorable, and endlessly generous in every way. Andrew lived life to the fullest, and I was lucky to be swept along in his joyful adventures. Whether we were sailing, biking, hiking, camping, or dancing in the kitchen—or on the Flower Power cruise—every moment with Andrew was magic. Andrew had a rare and beautiful connection with some of the monkeys—Puchi, Mad Max, Ben, and Udi—who adored him just as deeply as we all did. His presence lit up every room, every trail, and every soul he encountered. Andrew will be missed deeply and lovingly by all whose lives he touched—monkey and human alike. As I remember my beloved husband, I want to share the vows we exchanged on our wedding day. They remain as true today as they were then: “I promise to love, honor, and cherish you. I promise to love you through all of life’s adventures. You are my best friend, my faithful partner, and I will love you always. Today I marry my best friend. Let the good times roll.” Let the good times roll, my love. Always. Kari, your "Honey Bunny"
Honor Andrew on April 24 8 AM until 8 PM for the Amazing Give
When Lauren was 22 weeks old, she sustained a spinal cord injury in a catastrophic car accident. She adjusted well to the paraplegia. Nothing slowed her down! In the year 2000, her first spine surgery was performed and then eleven more followed due to complications. All of those surgeries left Lauren less mobile than most people with paraplegia. She couldn't reach very high nor fully bend at the waist. This greatly affected her independence.
We had heard of an agency that raises "service monkeys" who could retrieve items Lauren couldn't reach and explored that option. Upon further investigation, however, we strongly disagreed with their policy of pulling ALL of their monkeys' teeth.
That is inhumane. So we enlisted the help of a "monkey broker". That is how we acquired Carli. Had we known at the time how Carli had been traumatically separated from her biological mother, we would have never pursued obtaining a monkey. No one should. Unfortunately, that is hindsight now.
We made Carli the focal point of our family. Thus, Carli had a charmed, but domesticated, life since infancy. She was included in every aspect of Lauren's daily life, as challenging as that was. The amount of destruction Carli caused was only surpassed by our unconditional love for her. Considering the natural environment of a monkey, though, it is almost impossible to replicate that in a suburban home; thus, the collateral damage Carli caused was astronomical!
When and if Carli would settle down, though, she and Lauren shared a deep compassion for each other. However, this all came to an end abruptly on September 17, 2009, when Lauren unexpectedly died. In retrospect, I realized that Carli should have never been forced to live a domesticated life. So, heartbroken yet determined to give Carli the best life possible, I arranged for Carli to live at Jungle Friends. Although Carli was very well taken care of (actually spoiled!) during her domestic life, Carli will now be able to live the life of a monkey as nature intended, yet in the protected environment of Jungle Friends. And for those monkeys who are still waiting for a wonderful new home in a sanctuary, Lauren's estate is funding new habitats at Jungle Friends and Koreymonde Capuchin Rescue: JAYSIE'S JUNGLE JUBILEE I and II. What a well-suited legacy!
In Loving Memory - Michelle Ann Herndon
July 15, 1981 - November 8, 2005
Michelle Herndon, one of Jungle Friends' first volunteers and recipient of the coveted "Top Banana" award, died on November 8, 2005 - her life taken by a man she befriended and trusted. She was only 24 years old.
Michelle began volunteering at Jungle Friends in 1999, and quickly became one of our most trusted and dedicated monkey caregivers. She was an incredible young woman.
Michelle fully believed that each and every one of us can make a positive change in the world. And that is the standard by which she lived her life. Michelle felt it was her responsibility as a compassionate and able person to help anyone or any animal in need?and she did. She volunteered at numerous animal welfare organizations, sponsored a child in Africa, frequently donated blood, started a recycling program at her work and was an advocate for the homeless. Michelle was a strong force that encouraged and inspired change in a world plagued by pessimism and indifference. There was a natural ease to her, and Michelle's ever-present smile and fun-loving wit could brighten anyone's spirits.
Michelle had an intense desire to learn and to experience all the adventures life had to offer. Her dream was to study gorillas, and she greatly anticipated joining the Peace Corps in Africa after graduating from University of Florida. Michelle wasn't given the chance to live her dream, but she changed more lives than she'll ever know and we will carry on the fight for the animals in her memory.
Michelle's memory will live on at Jungle Friends. We miss you, Michelle. Chi Chi sends her love! Your spirit now dances free with our beloved Gizmo.
It is with great sadness that I tell you Ozzie is free of the body that betrayed him. Ozzie was a fighter and really enjoyed life, even though he got off to a rough start.
Ozzie had been having further difficulties, including septic arthritis in both his front knee joints. He cried with pain no matter how many pain meds I gave him, he could no longer tolerate the acupuncture due to his neuropathy and the neuropathy meds did not help. Ozzie could no longer use his cart and the last few days he could barely walk and had to be carried out and assisted much of the time.
Ozzie definitely had good days and bad days, but when his bad days worsened and were outnumbering his good days, we had to do what we felt was best for Ozzie. After discussing Ozzie's quality of life with Dr. Medina, Dr. Schirmer and Ozzie?s team of vets at the UF vet school, we came to the difficult decision that it was in Ozzie's best interest to let him go.
Ozzie's last memory of this life was an hour-long ride in my van, he loved car rides and was so happy to be going on an outing with his favorite humans. Ozzie died in our loving arms.
Ozzie was the best dog in the world - we all loved him so much. Jungle Friends is just not the same without Ozzie, he will be missed not only by the humans, but by all of his dog and monkey friends. It has been a very sad week, first Ozzie had to leave and then my brother left this world, oh, it is all so difficult to bear.
Lots of love to you all, Kari.
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