Tears and Laughter

When I checked the mail yesterday and saw the return address on a note with one of the two names crossed out, I felt gut punched.

I read the note, which accompanied an obituary clipping, and learned that a beloved friend, a professor from our college days, passed away in May. His wife wrote to us to provide more information; she assumed we’d already heard of his passing.

Ironically, the school’s alumni magazine had arrived the day before. I checked the mail in the middle of running several errands, and tossed it onto the passenger seat to read later. Usually, I always read the column on alumni accomplishments and passings, but not this time.

My friend, Craig, had been my advisor as I earned my degree in his department at our college, and professor in many of my classes. He and his first wife, Nancy, attended our wedding on campus in 1982. Since then, we’ve remained in contact, as he did with many of his students. They visited us when we lived in Fort Bragg, California, and Juneau, Alaska. After Nancy passed away, he and his second wife, Fae, visited us here on the homestead.

And now he’s gone. It will take me some time to absorb this loss.

Thankfully, later this morning, I’ll drive out to the ferry terminal to pick up my sisters, who will visit for about 9 days as they sort and pack their belongings that they’ve stored in Haines for several years. That will be an excellent antidote for sadness. We’ll no doubt work hard on the storage unit, but we’ll have plenty of time for laughter as well.

We’re still housesitting in town, so I don’t have access to my photo stash, or I’d post photos of them at our homestead.

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