DEATH/FRIENDSHIP

Can You Ever Comfort a Friend Whose Partner Dies Suddenly?

Forgive me, but I am speechless.

My neighbor’s front yard. Photo KJH

If she had just called ME, I could have started CPR.

This is what I said to a friend in our community after my neighbor on the other side of my duplex died suddenly last Thursday.

I was hanging out in my sunroom at the back of my house and heard doors slamming out front. But that was far from where I’m sitting, and I’m not very nosy.

I figured the neighbors, whose home is attached to mine, had company.

Those neighbors, who I’ve only known for three months since I moved here, are great people. They welcomed me so kindly, and since all our units are doubles, side by side, we saw a lot of each other.

Ted was 70, and Sheila was 68. In this 55 and older community, we are some of the youngest.

Sheila’s twin sister passed away shortly after I moved here. She was distraught, yet her sister was suffering, and she knew it was best for her to pass away.

Sheila’s sister was married to Ted’s brother. They were foursome.

I looked forward to having a lot of fun with them.