A Good-Bye To 'Tanta', of Calculated Risk
A: Very sad news tonight. Tanta, co-blogger with Bill over at Calculated Risk, passed away early this morning after battling ovarian cancer for the past 3 years. Tanta has proven to be an amazing resource during a time of crisis in this country, and was a voice of both reason and sanity in an insane world. She did her best to talk about the problems with our financial system, how we are 'all subprime now', and in depth discussions of the mortgage industry where she worked for over 20 years. She will be greatly missed.
The news, "Sad News: Tanta Passes Away":
My dear friend and co-blogger Doris “Tanta” Dungey passed away early this morning. I would like to express my deepest condolences to her family and friends.The blogging world benefited greatly from Tanta's presence and I learned a wealth of information from her writings. On a personal note, its been about 17 months since I lost my father to lung cancer, and until you see the illness up close and personal, you realize that you probably have been taking life for granted. I do not wish it on my worst enemy and if there is anything I want to get through in this piece devoted to both my father and Tanta, it is to enjoy your life, be good to your family and your friends and others, don't take anything for granted, and know that good health is a blessing that should not be overlooked.
Tanta worked as a mortgage banker for 20 years, and we started chatting in early 2005 about the housing bubble and the changes in lending practices. In 2006, Tanta was diagnosed with late stage cancer, and she took an extended medical leave while undergoing treatment. At that time I approached her about writing for this blog, and she declined for a simple reason – her prognosis was grim and she didn’t expect to live very long. To her surprise, after aggressive treatment, her health started to improve and she accepted my invitation. When she chose an email address, it reflected her surprise: tanta_vive ... Tanta Lives!
Tanta liked to ferret out the details. She was inquisitive and had a passion for getting the story right. Sometimes she wouldn’t post for a few days, not because she wasn’t feeling well, but because she was reading through volumes of court rulings, or industry data, to get the facts correct. She respected her readers, and people noticed.
Tanta, you will be dearly missed. My condolences and prayers to Tanta's family, and dearest friends. We lost one of the 'good guys'.
Posted by paul.b
Sun Nov 30th, 2008 11:32 PM
Noah,
I have been reading your blog for about a year and a half now. I don't comment that much, more of a silent reader, but when you make this site human (like this devotion to Tanta, and the post on your father), I can't help but write something.
Tanta was a rare voice. You are right up there with Tanta, in my book at least, in terms of integrity and honesty. Like Tanta, you tell it like it is and for that I am thankful.
I actually started reading Calculated Risk from links in posts on this blog. I learned so much from blogs like CalcRisk, Urbandigs, Michael Shedlock, that news like this hits home especially hard. There are so few public sites out there written by people like Tanta.
If I could say something to her, it would be an overwhelming thank you! I will pray for Tanta's family and offer my condolences as well. You are right, she will be greatly missed.
Posted by Doug Quance
Mon Dec 1st, 2008 12:27 AM
Very sad news, indeed.
You are very correct in your assessment of how we should treat each and every day with the appreciation of our health and blessings.
Tanta will be missed.
Posted by Noah
Mon Dec 1st, 2008 07:51 AM
Paul - Thanks man! Makes me feel great to hear that. She indeed was a rare voice