Today’s Square Post will follow in a few minutes, first a post from Chris

It was November 7th, 2025 yesterday.  Cee Neuner would have been 65.  One of her blogging friends, Terri Webster Schrandt, posted a wonderful birthday message to her.  Thank you, Terri, from the bottom of my heart.  I’m sorry you never got to meet her in person.  She enjoyed your friendship and having you as a blogging buddy.

I’m Cee’s wife of 35 years, Chris Donner, and I want to tell you a little bit about your friend.  For those who knew her, here’s some of the things you didn’t know about her.

We loved hiking and camping when we were younger.  We would camp year round in the Colorado Rockies.  We even camped in a tent in the snow!  Our favorite place was a campground high up in the Rockies, sitting at 9600 feet (almost 3 km) above sea level. It was a gorgeous place to be, quiet and beautiful.  Cee loved the night skies.  We’d sit around the campfire talking for hours and after the fire had burned down to embers, we’d sit back and watch the stars.  There were no city lights to dull the night sky so the stars were legion, dazzling.

We loved hiking and were always looking for a new trail to try out.  The only problem was that we had radically different styles of hiking.  I liked heading out, knowing where I was going and determined to reach the trail end.  I carried my map and compass, emergency gear and plenty of water, a necessity for avoiding altitude sickness.  Cee’s style of hiking was more in the “Oh, look!” variety, as in, “Oh, look at that tree”.  “Oh, look at that flower!”  “Oh, look at that deer!”  She was always wandering off the trail.  I’d hike out for 20 minutes, then circle back to find her.

The worst part of hiking was that she was working in geotech at the time and had a fascination with rocks.  She was always finding new samples that just HAD to come home with us.  I was, of course, the designated pack mule.  By the time we got back to the car I was about twenty pounds heavier and in danger of having my pants (trousers) falling down around my knees.  And this was before digital photography, otherwise I’d be lugging around camera equipment as well.

When digital photography became a “thing”, you know what happened then.  Her love of photography was legendary.  I can’t begin to count the number of cameras and lenses she had through the years.  She still had one more lens on her wish list, a 400mm telephoto, but she became too weak to be able to handle the weight of it, so it still sits on her wishlist.  If she were here and healthy I’d be saving up for the 800mm lens.  She didn’t just do macros, you know!

These days are hard for me.  Monday was my birthday.  One year ago yesterday I was sitting with our family doctor and she was telling me it was time for hospice.  Cee had been largely comatose that week, and barely acknowledged me on my birthday.  But on this day last year she came alive and was talkative and happy for her birthday.  It was breaking my heart to know that tomorrow I would have to tell her it was time to let go.  There was no more healing, no more coming back from the illness that had robbed her of her body and her love of being outdoors with a camera in her hand.  So on the 8th I told her it was time for hospice.  On the 15th she came home to die.

I know everyone was shocked when Becky posted the news.  The responses from all of you who loved her through the years were incredible, warm and loving.  I was so glad that she was able to see all of them.  It became a living memorial, and she was touched beyond any words I can use to describe her reactions.

So thank you again to all of you for your love and remembrances.   I know she is smiling and thinking of each one of you.

Love and hugs,

Chris

PS And a note from Becky, thanks Chris for these beautiful words and great photographs. Everyone sends their love to you. Your wife was incredible, and we all miss her loads. She still appears regularly in people’s posts. Talking of which thank you again to Dan Antion and Marsha Ingrao for organising yesterday’s 1Day4Cee.

27 thoughts

  1. Your warm and happy memories of a loving relationship over many years will help see you through the dark days which are bound to follow, Chris. You make Cee sound such a delightful person and, as you say, not one we are familiar with. I hope that your will find peace in re-living past moments and Cee’s photography will always be there to add comfort and remind you of the good times.

    Thank you Becky, for giving the platform to allow us to add a few words in memory of Cee.

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  2. Thank you for sharing, Chris and Becky. Difficult to read without getting imotional, but seeing how many people coming back to give Cee the little BD present in the way she would love, beautiful photos full of love and gently picked for this occasion, melts my heart.

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  3. Dear Chris, I only crossed paths directly with Cee a few times (I’m not a photographer so didn’t do her challenges) but I couldn’t help but be aware of her presence and her importance to many of my blogging friends. I know how beloved she was, and how much she is missed.

    Dear Becky, you are a good friend to lots of people. Now that I do know from direct experience!

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  4. While it is difficult to read your memories of hiking with Cee, I am laughing at a mental image of her zigzagging through the woods with the next great photo to discover. Please continue to share, as you can, funny insights such as what you shared here. We all heal with smiles. Thank you, Chris, for this moment to smile.

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  5. My tears flow as I read the sadness in the inevitability Chris reckoned with as Cee slipped away, but they flow with happiness to read about years of hiking and camping in the mountains. I smiled when I thought of Chris lugging rocks back after a hike. My husband also collect rocks while I collect photos. I’m sure many of us are like Chris and Cee, happy in life, and attempting to live it in full.

    Thank you, Chris, for reaching out to me yesterday on my blog. And for working with Becky to write this amazing glimpse into the wonderful life you and Cee shared together. Although our bodies crumble into the earth and become stardust, our precious memories are forever. Chris, please reach out again. When I come back to the Portland area, I would love to see you.

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  8. Thank you to Chris for sharing these lovely memories of Cee, and to Becky for providing the platform to host them. The pain of last year must still be very raw but the warmth of your time together I hope is providing some comfort and will continue to do so.

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  11. Thank you Chris for sharing some of your experience with your lovely wife. I am so sorry for your loss. I love the story about the difference in hiking styles. I hope you still have some of those rocks to remember the time in the woods and mountains. I can’t adequately express my feelings about how hard it must have been for you as her decline began. I wish you all the best as you go forward. I (and so many others) will never forget Cee, and we will do our best to carry on the photographic traditions she started.

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  12. I could just say this, feelings in my heart same, tears in my eyes, Thank you for you All, you are so nice people, Love, nia

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  14. This is such a moving post and tribute to Cee. I had to smile at the differences in hiking styles. I can just picture that happening. I smile at her pictures. Her smile was so contagious. In spite of the loving smiles, this is a heart-rending post, and I appreciate Chris and Becky for sharing this intimate view of Cee, that the world didn’t know. I notice that I got some of my facts wrong. I thought we were ten years apart, but I only had nine on her. Either way, she was much too young, and she is very missed.

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  15. I cannot write how I feel. Thank you Chris for sending us to a place where Cee was happy, a Cee not many of us knew.
    I knew of the hikes and favourite spots but not the willing 🤔 “pack horse”
    My good mate who I go on road trips with now makes me walk in front so he doesn’t have to come back to look for me taking photos 😂
    Thank you Becky for being a good friend to everyone 🥰
    Tears flow as I write 🥲

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  19. Talk about a lump in the throat. I just want to hug Chris. Watching Cee fade away must have been agony for her. Lovely to think of the pair of them, young and carefree. She’ll be holding fast to the memories, trying to make a life for herself. God bless you, Chris, and thanks for sharing this. And Becky- thanks for making it possible. You know all too well how it feels xx

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