Lili Geller On Partner Loss, Parenting Grieving Children & Becoming A Financial Provider

Lili Geller's husband, Damon, died unexpectedly at age 48.Damon was the most alive person that many of us ever knew. He was passionate. In his love for Lili and their kids, Delilah and Jonah, and his extended family and friends. In his athleticism. Damon physically challenged himself - skateboarding, surfing, basketball, jiu jitsu, table tennis - you name it, Damon rocked it! In the way he moved through the world. Damon understood how to LIVE, not merely exist.Damon was hilarious. I loved being around him because he never failed to crack me up. He was a fixture in our town of Pacific Palisades, where he grew up. Everyone knew and liked Damon. He could frequently be found in the village, having animated conversations over lunch, sharing the latest thing he was into. Damon was an avid learner. Lili shared that he sometimes stayed up all night reading. When he found something that excited him or worked well, he wanted to share it with everyone. I'll never forget when I first met Damon, he fervently explained that I needed to purify our drinking water with black mica, even showing up at our door that evening with a bag of the mineral powder and showing me how to use it. He was so convincing that I naturally followed his advice! Damon loved sunsets, date nights with Lili at his favorite sushi restaurant, and especially being a hands-on dad to his kids. Damon died while surfing under a full moon with his brother, Mike, on December 20, 2018. Reflecting on the night that obliterated her world, Lili recalls a number of unusual things happened that day. The Universe seemed to whisper that time was fleeting. Read more about Damon here - https://palisadesnews.com/death-of-pali-surfer-wake-up-call/.Lili said that it was like a switch flipped. Damon was there and suddenly gone. In an instant, Lili became a widow, solely responsible for Delilah and Jonah. The shock and grief was physical. The sudden absence of Damon's enormous energy left a gaping void in their home and throughout our entire community. The difficulties were compounded by the isolation of the subsequent pandemic.Lili hadn't been working outside the home when Damon died. Through sheer grit and love of her kids, Lili managed to keep them in their family home. She returned to work as a real estate agent. Lili built a successful business and is helping many buy and sell properties in the wake of the Palisades fire. She’s the best! We wouldn't be in our current home without her connections, expertise and patience negotiating our lease in a competitive market. If you live in LA, Lili is the woman for all your real estate needs. Lili’s information can be found here - https://www.compass.com/agents/lili-geller/.Delilah and Jonah are thriving, with Delilah preparing to attend her dream university this fall. As Lili said in our conversation, over the past 7 years, she's gone from being a "shaking leaf" after Damon died to embracing life again and growing her business. Lili is one of my favorite people - she always looks flawless, can whip up an amazing meal for a crowd and make it look effortless, and is a gift to everyone in her orbit. Lili will drop whatever she's doing when her family, friends or dogs need her. The life that Lili has created in her obliterated place is beautiful. Damon, always her biggest cheerleader, is somewhere not far off, pumping his arm, urging her to keep going. Lili writes, "The one thing I do know from my grief journey (and everyone’s is different) is that I was loved by Damon and he was loved by us. All the negatives that can build up in a lifetime don’t necessarily get forgotten but they just no longer carry any value and all that’s left is love. And love never dies. Never."