"Grief is honest acknowledgement of loss,which is based on honest acknowledgement of value. Without value, there is no substantive loss. In grieving we honestly celebrate the gifts we have been given. Lamenting the loss of one whom we love, for example, is the most painful indeed, and yet the very grieving is a celebration of the richness that life brought us. We cannot have the richness without the possibility of loss, and without loss we cannot fully treasure the gifts we have been given." -- James Hollis, Ph.D.

Our hope is that you will share your memories, thoughts and photos, and that this is a place where we can all find a bit of comfort. We also hope that someday, this will site will be something for Grace and Cooper to get to know their Mom the way that we did. 

As you add your stories and photos, please include your name and how you knew Heather.

From the San Diego Union Tribune, Friday, February 26, 2009:

PALAMOUNTAIN, HEATHER DAVIS
Sept. 8, 1970 to Feb. 19, 2009

     Heather Davis Palamountain, an immensely talented woman cherished by family and friends, died at home in Alamo, CA, on Thursday, February 19th. She was 38 and the mother of two children who were the light of her life, Grace Kay Palamountain (5) and Cooper Marcus Palamountain (2). Heather Davis was born on September 8, 1970, in San Diego, the first of three daughters of Jeffery B. and Kay Ingraham Davis, both lifelong San Diegans prominent in business, education, and civic affairs. Heather, a natural student and gifted writer, graduated from Point Loma High School with the class of 1988 and from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 with a major in English. Soon after graduation, she became a registered representative of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and joined the firm of Barclays Global Investors (BGI) in their San Francisco office. At BGI, Heather entered as a Marketing Associate in September 1992, and rose steadily through the organization to become Chief of Staff/Assistant to the Chairman in 1999. Energetic, determined and highly organized, Heather was also a marathon runner, SCUBA diver, and fund raiser for the American Cancer Society Executive Board. She remained with BGI until her marriage to Mark Palamountain in 2001 and the birth of their first child, after which she embraced her best loved career as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker. Besides her two children, survivors include her parents, Jeff and Kay Davis; sisters, Shawn Rodger (Trevor), and Wendy McDonald (Chad); and niece and nephews, Brooks and Reese Rodger, Lincoln McDonald, and husband, Mark. A Celebration of Heather's Life will take place on Sunday, March 1st, at 4:00 p.m., at La Jolla Presbyterian Church, 7715 Draper Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037. (Parking structure is located on Kline Street) In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the children's education funds; the Grace Palamountain Education Fund and/or the Cooper Palamountain Education Fund c/o Ducker, Spradling, Metzger, and Wynne Trust Account FBO, 3043 FourthAvenue, San Diego, CA 92103, Attention: Gary Spradling.