Tatjana Patitz and I go way back. We became the best of friends during our first sitting together for Calvin Klein in the late 80s. I used to think that when God was handing out good looks, he went a little overboard in Tatjana’s case. But her allure wasn’t just her physical beauty—it was the feeling she expressed about everything in her life that she loved. Although she could be breathtakingly glamorous, she was a real earth-mother type. I respected her so much for the care she gave to all the animals she lived with, many of them rescues. Going to her house in California reminded me of being at home, because there were animals running all over the place, barking and jumping and causing all kinds of joyous havoc. Tatjana would visit Nan and me in the Adirondacks and Montana in the summers, often with a handsome boyfriend in tow. For as long as I knew her, I’d get calls from these men months or years later, their voices breaking on the verge of tears, as they recognized that their time with this incredible woman was coming to an end. Tatjana had too much love in her heart to be with only one person. And in the end, her heart really belonged utterly and completely to her son Jonah. Tatjana was like a wild daughter to Nan and I, a life force like a hurricane—but she was the most devoted friend who always led with kindness. She was intensely feminine, but she was also like "one of the guys.” The sun has been shining so bright here in Golden Beach since I heard the heartbreaking news of her passing. We love you Tatjana, we’ll hold our memories of you close to our hearts. —Bruce and Nan