A Stylist’s Moving Tribute to a Longtime Client – Stylist Spotlight

Editor’s Note: Greta Hasbach, a stylist in Gilbert, AZ, and the daughter of a stylist, was asked to write a eulogy for a long-time and much-loved client.  Her client, Clara, was a “consumate performer” Hasbach says, and Clara’s family fully support the sharing of this loving tribute. We offer an excerpt of the eulogy that Hasbach delivered here as an example of the beautiful connections stylists often make with their clients. Enjoy!

My name is Greta. I am a second generation stylist.  I was Clara’s stylist. 

I regularly heard stories about the favorite friends and clients my own Mother had over my entire life and watched her experience the profound loss of these “dear friends,” especially towards the end of my own Mother’s career.

I know they meant a great deal to my Mom and there are a few extra special people who sat in her chair that were unforgettable whom I remember to this day. Just like the clients who made such a lasting impression on my Mom, I have memorable clients whose stories I share and as long as I tell those stories, extraordinary people like Clara will not be forgotten.

The Stylist-Client Connection

The hairstylist client relationship is a pretty unique one, especially when it has been cultivated for over a decade or longer. As a hairstylist, I have the privilege of visiting with my clients one-on-one for 45 minutes to an hour (or longer) on a regular basis, oftentimes around a 4 to 6 week schedule.

In other words, I get to interact, in person, with this group of people significantly more than my own extended family members. It is through these visits that I have the privilege of getting to know my treasured clients and the honor of hearing first hand accounts of their life stories.

With each visit, I gain a glimpse of the goings on in their lives and the lives of their families as well as an inside view of their opinions and perspectives on their family matters. I also get to share in the excitement and anticipation of preparing for an event or milestone and conversely, the disappointment of a setback or devastation of a tragedy.

There’s a shared vulnerability in this relationship and also a wealth of knowledge exchanged.

Naturally as I get older, I have more to share of my own experiences, but the diversity of who sits in my chair represents a very broad slice of womankind – complete with insights covering a variety of experiences learned through a lifetime of careers, family, travel and upbringing. These nuggets of truth that I have collected and freely share wouldn’t conventionally be associated with one such as I, due to my lack of a formal college education. 

I say that because some of what I have learned over my many years in the beauty industry from professionals in their own fields, grant me a passing knowledge on a plethora of topics. For example, I do not have first hand knowledge or experience in theater and performing, but Clara did and her stories were always entertaining. I am a student of humanity and I can’t help but share what I’ve learned or observed, especially when asked. 

So it is quite an honor to speak about my friendship with Clara.

The Texts That Tied Us Together

Her text requests were always something I looked forward to and are deserving of a public reading. I can’t think of a more appreciative audience than her friends and family so I will do my best to provide the proper Clara inflection. I never knew what wit, sarcasm or humor would await me.

She would at times send requests as poems:
“HELP, Sharpen your scissors. Polish your skill. I can come whenever you will.”
“What the heck? Clear the deck. I’ve too much hair on my neck. Send the date to inspect.”
“I’m ready to be shorn. Please let me know the morn (or the noon).”
 There were a couple exchanges in early 2020 that would entertain me and the other clients I shared these with: 
“Woe is me. Methinks that I have almost lost my sight so great is the haze that confronts me.
Perchance would you have some solace for my worried mind? Hasten to mine aid with a
suggestion that would bring a sense of calm to my spirit. I await your pleasure. Clara the
Anxious.”
For fun, I replied: “Fear not, fair Maid! Upon the morrow’s morrow I shall wrestle with the beast
that plagues thine sight! Shall we conspire before mid day? Greta the Fearless.”

When COVID lockdown restrictions were put into place in April of 2020 and the salon was
forced to close down for a time, she upped the ante (and the drama) in our conversations using
Shakespearean English. With time on my hands, to her delight, I responded in kind.
“Alas and alack, time will be my ghostly companion. My so-called Crowning Glory will be down
to my shoulders and I will be impossible to identify. Therefore, Mistress Greta, I will be sure to
add to my apparel a name-tag to assist you in identifying me upon our next meeting. I was
beginning to consider a babushka. I have a couple of them in a drawer.  Clara the Anxious.”

To which my reply was: “Send Pictures!!

Which she DID along with the disclaimer “In reply to your request, I send forthwith the pictures
you requested. It is my fervent hope they do not frighten your young ones. Review before
sharing.”

Early last year, after a haircut at the salon, I asked if we could get a selfie together. Without
missing a beat, she quipped “Normally, I charge $100 a picture but I just won’t tell my Manager.”
Her humor and wit was pure gold.

Lessons Learned

In my 30 years behind the stylist chair, I have had the privilege to interview many an
octogenarian. There are some truths and rich wisdom to collect from this endurance group.

Reaching 90 years of age is an undeniable rollercoaster of having to suffer through the
shattering loss of loved ones, to reconcile missed opportunities or regrets and withstand the
erosion of the mind and body. However, the tradeoff for enduring is the deep understanding and
appreciation of the temporal nature of circumstance, especially moments and experiences with
loved ones and being fully present with them filled with awe and wonder and swollen with pride,
especially at seeing the ones you love accomplish, grow and succeed. 

Being there all along to cheer them on is one of life’s greatest rewards. She was overjoyed to be there for it all. Not every family gets the opportunity for a matriarch to remain in position for that long. 

I am a support person, always concerned and utterly supportive of my treasured friends who happen to pay me to shape their hair. This business of mine transcends the mere perfunctory service of keeping hair neat and tidy – it’s very personal and one of the most gratifying things in my life. I am deeply invested in the lives of those who trust me with their stories and who honor me with their time.

I am so grateful to have known Clara and to have been given the opportunity to share how meaningful her friendship was to me.

Thank you