Farewell My Friend

front_back"Born on August 3rd, 1969 to Deb Helgerson, Teisha arrived and immediately locked eyes with her adoring mother.  So began her ability to immediately connect with people.  This never changed and she amassed countless adoring friends and fans that were with her until the end.Lifelong, abundant friendships were plentiful for Teisha and she worked hard to maintain them. Teisha grew up in Lake Oswego and attended Lake Oswego High School. At the University of Oregon she was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority where she met some of her life-long best friends.  Teisha graduated in 1992 with a BA in English.Teisha’s love of travel began at a very early age.  She started learning French at the age of 3 from her Ceylonese teacher.  When she was 9 years old, her mom strapped on the backpacks and off they went to France, England and Spain.  In college she spent the fall semester of her junior year in Avignon, France where she polished her French, spent every last franc she had and tasted each dish put in front of her.  Although she visited many countries from Portugal to Bali and several in between, France remained her first love and she returned many times, falling harderwith each visit.Teisha loved to sing and was blessed with a melodic voice that sounded like honey.  She loved being on stage and at the peak of a successful career in real estate, took a leave of absence to pursue music full time.She formed a band with her uncles called, aptly, Say Uncle.  They recorded one album.  Later, Teisha co-founded Amelia with Scott Weddle and Jessie Emerson.  Amelia recorded three studio albums and one livealbum.  They played countless live shows, including one in the Bahamas at the Atlantis resort.  Teisha also sang back-up vocals for Ringo Starr on his Christmas album I Wanna Be Santa Clause.During live shows, Teisha gave all she had to the audience.  Blessed with an impeccable sense of rhythm and excellent coordination, she could play drums and sing simultaneously, even when the beat and vocal were not synchronized. Her careful preparation and confident delivery made her performances absolutely transcendent. Teisha didn’t enjoy being in the spotlight, she was the spotlight.As a songwriter, Teisha had a wonderful imagination and a sense of melody that only a singer can have.  While in the band Amelia, she woke up one morning with the lyrics and melody to Better Than Sleeping Alone practically fully formed in her mind, working with the band later that day on the song's arrangement.  One of her more recent compositions was fittingly called Go See the Doctor though, aside from the title refrain, the lyrics were not medically related.In addition to her magnificent voice, musical skills, fluency in French and relaxed beauty, Teisha was a whip-smart business woman who owned her house outright before most of us were thinking of buying.  She was extremely successful in real estate, worked her tail off and loved the challenge of the business. She was also a Board Member of Casa and the President of Slow Down Record Company.Teisha was the proud owner of a beach house in Manzanita, where she could be found in front of a crackling fireplace, a glass of red wine in hand, writing and roaming the water’s edge with her beloved poodles, Luna and Sadie.Teisha lived her life with passion and curiosity – she was always learning, always trying to better herself and trying new things like scuba diving, even though she was afraid of water.  She was graceful and brave and so verystrong. She loved with her whole heart, laughed until tears streamed down her face and had a great sense of humor.  She had countless friends and she was able to make each one feel like they were her favorite.  Her enormous, loving family was immensely important to her and she was a role model to many of her nieces and nephews.Sadly, on September 29th, 2011, the sun dimmed and Teisha June Helgerson died of complications from chronic lymphocytic leukemia.The world is a little duller without Teisha June, but her spirit, voice, laughter and love will live with us forever.Her mother and best friend, Deb Helgerson, survive her."Obituary written by friend Julee Bean for Teisha.  10/8/11 

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