Remembering Eve Ott and memorial information

There is no summing up someone like Eve Ott. You wouldn’t catch her summing herself up, either. She faced every experience as its own thing and kept her assumptions to a minimum. Eve seemed always ready to see freshly, to let the moment or the person in the moment be just what they were, then and there. She was certainly compassionate and patient with even difficult people, but underlying that basic humanity was a curiosity that informed all her relationships. Eve was always ready to discover you anew, and maybe a lot of people are, but it shone out of her.

Eve’s writing expressed this again and again. Her poetry can seem at first read a straightforward recording of experience, but look closer and you find a careful arrangement of detail that reveals something quite particular that invites curiosity and empathy like her own.

Eve was just plain fun. She could be very funny, and she made others sound funnier still with her easy and generous laughter. She was always up for a glass of wine and some wide ranging conversation. She would listen to your troubles if you needed an ear like that, and never made the mistake of giving you advice. She knew how much listening can matter.

Eve Ott passed peacefully on March 1, 2024. She leaves uncountable others the better for knowing her. I know I never had a better friend. I’m pretty sure you never did, either.

— Randy Ratliff on behalf of Riverfront Readings and the Collaborators

A memorial service for Eve will be held on Saturday, March 16th, with a reception afterwards.

At the memorial, people can read one poem by Eve or one poem about Eve. Because of time constraints, there are a limited number of reading slots available. If you would like to read, please let Carl Bettis know at carl@riverfrontreadings.com.

Eve Ott Memorial and Reception
Saturday, March 16th

Memorial: 
2:00 – 4:00 p.m.
The Pilgrim Chapel
3807 Gillham Road, Kansas City, MO 64111

Reception:
5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Home of Anne Calvert & Carl Bettis
(Don’t know where Anne & Carl live? Drop us an email at carl@riverfrontreadings.com.)