Last month, we brought you the wedding of Lisa Dumaw and Therese Pieper. The couple traveled from their home in Colorado to New York to be legally married. The marriage was especially urgent, as Lisa was battling cancer. They were married at the home of their cousins, Kristen Eberhard and Bill Miles. Bill took beautiful photos, while Kristen wrote a touching description of the wedding day for the Huffington Post. Their story was covered by People Magazine.
We are saddened to share that Lisa lost her battle with cancer and passed away on December 11. Kristen Eberhard shared:
My beautiful cousin lost her battle with cancer today - however her impact on the lives she touched with her love, her smile, her compassion and her grace can never be taken from us. I am honored to have known her. I am honored to live in a state that allowed her to fulfill a dream - to marry her loving partner before she passed. Lisa would want me to find gratitude. With tears streaming down my face - I promise I'll try. She was grace.
The saga of their marriage is not yet complete. Kristen also shared that the Boulder’s coroner’s office does not want the marriage to be noted on Lisa’s death certificate. Instead, he offered to put “civil union.”
Kristen responded by saying, "My cousin didn’t fly across the country on her deathbed, travel through airport terminals in a wheelchair, end up with an ER visit…to have “Civil Union” put on her death certificate. Therese Pieper is her spouse."
GLAAD sends our condolences to Lisa's wife and whole family. Her story highlights the inequality that couples face across the country. To learn more, visit www.glaad.org/marriage.
