Wow what a trip this has been!
We had over 40 years of marriage and 3 more dating before that.
In case you have forgotten Nancy and I met on a blind date on New Year’s Eve 1965.
It just goes to show that you never know. Maybe we should have bought some lottery tickets that night.
Then we got married and moved to Maryland in 1968. During the 5 years we were there Nancy showed the first of her health problems, which started with her hearing. Unfortunately medical science had not advanced to the point that they could determine the underlying problem until many years later.
Where is Dr. House when you need him?
We returned to Rochester in 1973 where I survived the next 32 years at Kodak. During that time we bought the house on Seneca, the house on Conesus Lake, and had many good times on trips to Florida, Canada, California, Georgia (to see B&D), New England, England, France, and also 2 trips on the QE2.
In all this time Nancy proved that she truly loved life and new experiences and especially her family. And I loved her for that and golf. But the less said about my golf game the better.
Anyway by the end of 2006 when I retired to take full time care of Nancy (Thank you to Tim for the time with her before that) her illness was getting progressively worse. But she was very strong about it (she wanted to thrash a few doctors) and was never one to complain about things (very English as Eunice would say) and just continued to enjoy what she could.
I think it most appropriate that when we picked out some of Nancy’s favorite songs for the service today Amazing Grace was one of them. It truly sums up our relationship to a large part in the first verse:
Amazing Grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind but now I see
Nancy you were indeed my Amazing Grace and I am today what you made me, a whole caring person and I will forever love you.
And while we are on this musical note I would like to close with these words from Pete Seegar courtesy of the Book Ecclesiastes:
To everything
There is a season
And a time to every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to laugh, a time to weep
A time to dance, a time to mourn
While this may be a time to weep and mourn, I am sure that there will be a time again soon where we will dance and laugh (Turn, Turn, Turn). I am also sure that Nancy would want that for us.
Goodbye my one and only love, and thank you for your life with me.
