Last year my wife, Punky-Doodle, died quite suddenly from bone cancer. It was less than six weeks from diagnosis until she passed and she had little time to put up a fight. Being a veteran of two tours in Viet Nam, I thought I was hardened and tough, but it's impossible to describe the tremendous sense of loss you feel when your partner, the other half of your life, is suddenly gone. You can't make apologies as if you had just had a small spat, nothing you can do will change things.

We shared many wonderful memories in our little desert town, and leaving was a tough decision. It was 25 miles to the big town of Pahrump for groceries or other shopping, and coming home the house was just as empty as when I left. Before the silver and gold memories we shared began to tarnish, I made up my mind to leave there as soon as possible.

Fortunately, finding a buyer was not difficult, since I was asking only enough to pay off the current medical and funeral expenses, lock the doors, and move away. Before I left, I sponsored a Farewell to Crystal party, to reassure my friends and neighbors I was not running away, but simply getting on with my life. It was no surprise to me how many people loved and missed my Punky-Doodle.

At the funeral, my oldest daughter invited me to move in with her family and a teenage grandson. Being with family is just what I need, now. I hope there will come a time when I'll find a new lady to care for, because I am much too young to find a rocking chair and watch the world go by. Someday... perhaps...

Home Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8

Email Me!