Activist, dissident, organizer, leader, moral voice, former political prisoner, widow of Andrei Sakharov, and all around lioness of human rights in Russia Yelena Bonner has regrettably passed away today at the age of 88.

Only a few years ago, I had the fortunate opportunity to meet Yelena on a number of occasions, and each time I walked away from our pleasant chats with a deep sense of wonder over the determination and history she carried so effortlessly on her shoulders.

Many others knew her much closer than I did, so I will leave the celebration of her life and memory through proper obituary in more capable hands.  What I can say is that even well into her 80s, she had the intense personal drive found only among a small number of remarkable people.  She was in a state of incandescence concerning the abuses present regime, the state of disrepair of Russian democracy, and the inability of those outside of Russia to see the leadership for what it was.