May 14, 1999

Eleven years ago the day started just like a regular one, but before this day ended my life changed forever and my little world fell apart. My husband had been trout fishing for a few days and came home with some of them. For supper I was baking him one of the largest trout, smothered in onions, just as he liked them. As was his habit, he stopped off at our pond to feed "his" fish and then came on to the house. He liked to feed his beagle hounds before he came in for his shower after work. I was finishing up his meal and heard his little Mountain Cur dog scratching at the door of the deck and all the beagles were barking so loud. I couldn't imagine what was going on but opened the door to look out. I saw my husband lying on the ground and ran out to find him unresponsive. I ran back in the house to get the phone and call 911, then back to him, starting CPR. It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to get here and when I finally heard it coming down the driveway, I had to leave him to direct them to the back yard where we were. The EMTs worked with him there and also in the ambulance. Steve Preston with Troup Fire Dept was one of those responding and I knew him through Red Cross. He told me it would be better if I rode on the way to the hospital with him instead of in the ambulance. I lost all track of time when we got to the hospital, but it seemed that I was alone for a long time before my sons got there and even longer before they told us. My daughter was away at school but was coming home to celebrate our birthdays (his May l7, mine May 18). She was not told of the news because I feared for her safety in driving home from North Carolina if she knew. Losing my mate of 37 years, love of my life since I was 16, has been my most life-changing experience. It has been a very lonely 11 years and I miss him so much.