Memories of Kiira
Kiira was a wonderful spirit who brought love with her wherever she went. We all miss her very much. Here are some of my memories with my cousin Kiira over the years.
Her father Warner was my father's younger brother and as a musician living in San Francisco he was a powerful magnet for me when I was a teenager. So much so that I hitchhiked alone from Minneapolis to 512 Diamond Street when I was 17 to go see him and his younger kids Kiira and Matty. My dad, Kiira's Uncle Bill, had driven the four of us: Bill, Holly, Doug, and Mark out to San Francisco the year before to visit Warner and Andrea and the kids. I remember passing a joint around the kitchen table in 1970 which seemed pretty cool at the time.
Kiira and Matty were 10 and 7 when we spent a day at the ocean, the Height, and Andreas fountain in Ghirardelli. This picture from an 8mm film includes our other cousins Simki and Robin Mattern too, with me on the left.
When I was newly married in 1987, Kiira came out to visit us in Mpls. and we just happened to be going to Minnesotas Black Music awards to see Prince and the Time. So we rented a limousine and had a great time dancing to Morris Day and Prince after they won their awards. Our other cousin Vicki from Wash. DC was there too, and the next day they wanted to go out to the suburbs to see Prince's house. So here is a picture of them at his Peace and Love front gate.
Later when our 3 boys were growing up in 2003 we spent a memorable day with just Kiira and Matty when they took us up to Mt Tamalpais where we were surprised to see such a magnificent view of the city. That photo is on this page above. We walked through the Muir woods for a while and then headed over to Stinson beach to play frisbee and paddle ball in the wind. Kiira seemed to really enjoy hanging with our boys, Billy, Jonny, and Joey as she asked them lots of questions about their life back in Minneapolis.
In 2009, I took Joey to LA when he was 16. We ate dinner with Kiira at "The Lobster" in Santa Monica where she told us about her job taking care of Pink's 3 dogs while living at her house. The next day she picked us up in her little green BMW convertible and drove us to Malibu where the security guard knew her and waved us in. We walked along the beach where she had lived for a month earlier that year as the personal assistant for Pink. She discretely pointed out the homes of all the famous people as we nonchalantly walked along the beach. Then she said she had to feed the dogs so she brought us to Pink's house in Hollywood Hills. Pink was on a long tour of Europe, and Kiira said "You have to leave your phones in the car but you can come in for a little, while I take care of the dogs and some other things". She let Joey and I take a dip in the pool with a waterfall grotto at one end, and she showed us the trapeze that she practices on in the yard and the Janis Joplin memorial in her garden. As we were playing with Pink's dogs, I asked her where she slept and Kiira said "See there is Pink's bedroom upstairs, and I sleep in the bedroom underneath downstairs." She had an interesting 3 years working for Pink, dog sitting, shopping, and managing her parties.
In 2010 Kiira came down to Newport Beach to hang out with us on the beach when we were vacationing there. Here is a photo of that trip when she took the 3 boys on a bunch of rides at Six Flags Amusement Park. It was extra scary when a mild earthquake hit when they were on the Terminator and it had to stop for a little while.
I especially have fond memories of Kiira helping me with the memorial website I made for her father, Uncle Warner, who passed away in July 2011. She kept me posted every couple months with changes to make and events about Warner to put on the website. She loved talking about her Dad with me, and therefore I learned a lot about Warner that I'd never known before. Details about his music, movies, photographs, and art as you can see at wjepson.com/warner
In 2014 Susan and I were in LA and we met Kiira at the Moonshadow in Malibu for cocktails. The next day we met her at the office of her next celebrity PA job; Victoria Principal. It was on the 2nd floor with an ocean view across the street, where she helped with her Cosmetics business, since her days of acting in shows like "Dallas" were in the past.
That night Kiira took us to a couple of clubs in her convertible. It took hours in traffic from Malibu to her house in Korea Town and then back to the strip. We saw Stephen Stills son's band, whom she had met at a party that month. He looks and sounds just like his dad. And I remember we had drinks with her friend there who had been working for years as the PA for Olivia (George) Harrison and her son Dhani.
Later Kiira worked for a while with Marisa Tomei. I recall her telling me that she was buying furniture for Marisa's LA house while she was rehearsing for "The Rose Tattoo" on Broadway.
And she took care of Trent Resnor, the musician's children. Her last job was with Director Producer Ridley Scott. She said it was really interesting helping him organize all of his movie props and scripts. So while he was making the Martian, Kiira was cataloguing the memorabilia he owned from movies like Thelma and Louise, Gladiator, and Blade Runner.
Then 3 years ago we all spent a few days in Calistoga where Kiira and Andrea and Matt were staying at the Hot Springs. We had a big family dinner there, after the memorial for our Uncle Don Mattern, with Simki and Robin and their grown daughters. It was held at Andrea's friend's remodeled old church with high ceilings and pews all removed. Kiira didn't want anyone to know about her illness, because she selflessly wanted us to enjoy our family gathering. Susan and I drove her home to the city, and had a great conversation about all things. She had us drive by the private winery of Francis Ford Coppola that she had stayed at once, somewhere in Napa Valley. Little did we know that would be the last time we would see her, as we heard of her illness when we got home. So sad, but we'll cherish our memories of being lucky to share her joy de vivre for so many years.
Rest in Peace Kiira,
we miss you deeply,
Bill Jepson