He received the call that he had been dreading in the early morning hours of June 27, 2007. “You had better come quickly, she doesn’t have much time”, the nurse from the hospital said. His wife of nearly sixty-three years was about to pass away and he needed to be there by her side when she did. For almost sixty-three years, they had done everything together and this was not something that he would let her do alone.
As he sat by her side, holding her hand his mind drifted back over all those years they had spent together. He remembered the day he met her. The year was 1944 and he was just seventeen years old. He had just enlisted in the Navy. It was her father that brought him home to dinner that night. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever met and though she didn’t not want anything to do with him at first, he eventually won her over and they were married on November 29, 1944. He shipped out overseas right after their wedding during the end of World War II and was gone for nearly a year.
He remembered when he returned home from the war and they had their first child…A son. The year was 1947. They were living in Ohio and he told her for a dime he would pack up all they had and move to Florida. She said okay, gave him the dime and they left. They didn’t really have a plan, the destination was just Florida. On their way south, they drove through Main Street in downtown Sarasota. As they ate lunch in the local diner, she told him she liked the town and thought it would be a good place to live. He walked around the corner, found a job and they stayed.
He remembered when he got very ill with Polio. She was by his side every minute. She took care of him, their home, and their young son. She was a very kind-hearted, but strong woman. The doctors said that he would not be able to have any more children. Fortunately, they were wrong and their daughter was born on October 7, 1953.
He remembered when they decided to purchase their first home on Sunnyside Street. They didn’t have the money for the down payment, so she worked out a deal with the builder. He would loan them the money they needed and she would pay him back $5.00 per month until the debt was paid. She paid back every dime. She was a woman of integrity.
She supported him as he completed training to become an electrical engineer. She helped him start his own business. She raised his children. She always took care of everyone around her. She had a big heart and loved her family very much.
As he sat next to her holding her hand, she drifted away. He had met her as a child and grew with her into manhood. He knew he would never love anyone as he had loved her. He knew he would never stop loving her until the day he died. He kissed her once more and said goodbye.
