Community members gathered April 26 around the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench in front of the Homer Public Library to celebrate the installation of the etched glass and copper lotus lamp envisioned by Brad Hughes and created by Art Koeninger.

The ceremony, which honored the memory of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane who went missing on Oct. 17, 2019, as well as other missing and murdered people, began with the reading of a poem, “Holding the Light” by Stuart Kestenbaum, then continued with words shared by Murnane’s parents, friends and the artists, and ended with a blessing.

The bench was dedicated in a memorial on June 12, 2022, and with the installation of the lamp and the information plaque inside the library’s front doors, the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench is now complete.

The lamp will remain lit in perpetuity.

Community members gathered around the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench in front of the Homer Public Library on Wednesday, April 26 to celebrate the installation of the etched glass and copper lotus lamp envisioned by Brad Hughes and created by Art Koeninger. The ceremony, which honored the memory of Anesha “Duffy” Murnane who went missing on Oct. 17, 2019 as well as other missing and murdered people, began with the reading of a poem, “Holding the Light” by Stuart Kestenbaum, then continued with words shared by Murnane’s parents, friends and the artists, and ended with a blessing. The bench was dedicated in a memorial on June 12, 2022, and with the installation of the lamp and the information plaque inside the library’s front doors, the Loved and Lost Memorial Bench is now complete. Photo by Christina Whiting