Lavenia Yale Nelson, known to all as Lyn, died peacefully in Miami, FL on September 22, 2026 at age 79, surrounded by her family.
She was born in Niagara Falls, NY and raised by her late mother, Louise Kohl Smith, in Rye, Chautauqua, NY and Reno, NV, and later in Palm Beach, FL by her late grandmother, Lavenia Blauvelt Kohl. Her father, Arthur William Nelson of Falmouth, MA, predeceased her. Lyn is survived by her devoted and loving sister, Lucinda Smith Rolen of Marshall, AR; her three children, Bentley Meeker, Melissa Meeker Eustace (David Srere), and Lauren Abrahams; and her five grandsons, Jensen Meeker, Michael Eustace, Guy Eustace, Russell Eustace, and Charles Posamentier.
If asked to describe her, her family would unanimously agree that Lyn was hilariously funny, completely irreverent, deeply loving, utterly unique, and an untamed dreamer. Known for her disarming and unfiltered humor, she was at various times a scuba diving instructor, an underwater photographer, an entrepreneur, and an artist. Ultimately, some of her most meaningful work was her advocacy for people in need around the world.
Throughout her ever-evolving life, one characteristic remained constant: Lyn rebelled against any box that tried to contain her. The world’s oceans were Lyn’s true passion. She made it a priority to do what she could to safeguard their health, and on multiple dives around the world each year well into her sixties, she was always awed by their beauty. Four of Lyn’s photos of the stunning and vibrant Bahamian underwater life were made into postage stamps by the government of the Bahamas, where she lived with her first husband, the late Guy Bentley Meeker Sr., in the 1970s, and later with her second husband, Jeffrey Abrahams. She subsequently moved to Rockwood and then Toronto, Canada, and finally settled in Los Angeles, CA.
For several years, Lyn was the executive director of the Toronto-based National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI Canada), and in 2018, NAUI Worldwide bestowed upon her a Hall of Honor award for her vast contributions to both the association and the field of diving instruction. She became an entrepreneur who founded and sold several successful companies, including Total Marketing; Rainforest Essentials, a body care product company dedicated to protecting the world’s rainforests; and Casa Alegria, a furniture and decor company. In her later years, Lyn worked as a design, marketing, and small-business consultant, helping artisans in developing countries create products, find markets, and build sustainable businesses while preserving their artistic traditions. She designed more than 100 stores, galleries, and exhibits over the course of her career. Her clients included Aid to Artisans, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme, the Organization of American States, USAID, international NGOs, and embassies. She spent several years abroad doing this work, which took her to Togo, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Georgia, Mexico, Haiti, Syria, and eventually Yemen. Her last trip was to Sanaa at the outbreak of the civil war, which had an indelible and devastating impact, leaving her perpetually worried for the well-being of her friends and colleagues there. We will never know the full reach of Lyn’s work nor how many lives she touched, in places where few would ever dare to venture. Much of what she did was done quietly and for the sake of doing good, rather than for recognition. Her influence was worldwide and impossible to quantify.
Of all her tremendously varied roles, the one Lyn prized most was being a profoundly devoted, affectionate, and hilarious grandmother, known as “Gaga” to her five grandsons. She leaves a gaping hole in their hearts, one previously filled by shark-shaped pancakes, trips to the zoo, travel to Belize and Europe, epic Nerf gun battles, school runs and illicit pre-dinner ice cream cones, afternoons gardening and playing in leaf piles, and sledding in hysterics with as many as she could fit on the sled. Lyn played with her grandsons with reckless abandon and made them feel fiercely and unconditionally loved, fully heard, and respected for exactly who they were.
The family is eternally grateful to Chastity de la Sierra, Lyn’s caregiver for the past four years, who brought her so much kindness, love, and joy as she lived with dementia, as well as for the care and support she received from the wonderful staff at her last home, the Bay Oaks Historic Retirement Residence in Miami.
Lyn’s greatest legacy to all who had the privilege of knowing her is that she lived her life richly, on her own terms, and always rooting for the underdog. Her many amazing qualities – including a norm-breaking spirit, an eye for beauty and design, a strong sense of justice, a childlike wonder (and humor), and a refusal to take no for an answer – continue to shine brightly in her children and grandchildren. She always had a mischievous sparkle in her eye, even in her very last days. We will all forever love and miss her.
Lyn’s ashes will be laid to rest at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, in the waters she returned to every year to fearlessly dive with tiger sharks more than twice her size. In lieu of flowers, may we suggest a donation to one or more of her favorite causes: Divers Alert Network, Heifer International, Shake a Leg, Bay Oaks Historic Retirement Residence.
