Tribute

I met my husband 2 months and 2 weeks after his 18th birthday, 35 years ago. I was much older than him but he was so cute and so polite, he was hard to resist. He was so shy, it took him 6 weeks to get up the nerve just to kiss me. We were married before his 21st birthday on the beach the last day of November 1989. I worshipped the ground he walked on, as he did me. We were so in love. His aunt and cousin and my son were with us and served as our witnesses. We laughed over the years as the man that performed our ceremony looked more like a mortician than a minister with his Abe Lincoln top hat and dressed all in black. He sacrificed having children of his own but helped me raise my son and did an outstanding job. Since they were only 10 and a half years apart in age, he was like a big brother and a dad all rolled into one. He could communicate and relate to him much better than I and because of his tutelage and influence, 10 days after graduating high school with college credits, our son joined and served in the USMC for 4 years making us both very proud parents. Not every man could or would be willing to attempt, more or less excel at that, which made me love him even more. We had our ups and downs, as do all married couples but, not once did I stop loving him or the person he was. He was kind to everyone and loyal to a fault and if you needed it, he would give you the shirt off his back, without hesitation. He loved animals, more so than people at times and was known to feed and bring home strays so he knew they were being cared for. He was a painter by trade, starting at the age of 16, and perfected his craft over the years. T job wasn’t done until it was perfect and the customer was satisfied with a smile on their face. He was a proud Pittsburgh Steelers professional football team fan. It didn’t matter that we lived on the west coast or that the rest of his family were all fans of the Niners or Raiders. His “colors” were black and gold and if he couldn’t watch the game on TV then the radio was on full blast. I did my best to dissuade friends and guests from calling, visiting or even talking during the game and everyone within earshot could hear us cheering on our team or yelling at the refs if we felt a bad call had been made. You could tell it was game day because, from the time he woke up, at least an hour before game time, he’d have one of his jerseys on and a Steelers hat to match, home or away. Our house is filled with pennants as old as 1933 and memorabilia. Every room has its share of black and gold, sans none. Of course, a sacrificial joint of the best marijuana to be had at the time was always smoked before the game started to please the football gods, and the Terrible Towels, both black and gold, were rubbed for luck but we’re not superstitious. As the years flew by, he developed a pseudoaneurysm on his splenic artery that burst and I thought then that I had lost my love. After 3 major surgeries in 5 days and 21 days in the hospital

Friends & Family

Mom (Terry); Stacee; Corey; Jana & Rae Ann; Ricky & Sami; Aaron & Jamie; Ryan, Kala & Robby; Gino & Alex; Linda & Marlie; Cody, Carrie & family; Ashley & Phoenix; Chris, Mary & family; James & Bree; Remi; Pete; Randi Jo; Mason; Chris & Bailey; Amber & girls; Amanda; Brenda; Brian & Stuart; Matt & Emily; Larry Larry; Kyle; Theodore; Wild Bill