I mentioned previously that I would share more about Janie “in a few days,” but now two months have passed since she left us! It feels as though it has only been a few days! We have made it through the holidays, and I’m now preparing to face the future and see where life leads me. Before moving on from the subject of Janie’s life, I want to include her full obituary and provide links to my remarks at the Celebration of Life, as well as Leslie’s and Katie’s remarks. These are all included in the video, but for those who have not seen it, I’m making them available here.

Summarizing a person’s whole life in a few paragraphs is impossible. As we said in our various remarks, Janie was kind, loving and empathetic. She was human, had her faults, and made mistakes, but in her heart, she wanted the best for everyone around her. She and I were very different, but in those differences, we balanced each other and helped each other grow. Isn’t that what a marriage should look like?

Besides her influence on me, she taught her children, friends and students in so many ways. Besides the things she taught me, Janie was the partner who kept me going. A few years after we were married, I decided that I wanted to go to law school. Those 4 years were a major sacrifice for her. Part of the time I was commuting to work in Monroe and to school in Tacoma. She not only worked, but she took care of pretty much everything for the family. An example is that she made it a point to have an early dinner ready when I got home from work so that we could eat as a family before I headed off to school. I started a part-time law practice with a friend from school, while I was still working full-time. Again, long hours with her support, even though she sacrificed time with me and my help.

Another phase of mine was hot air ballooning. I did it for nearly 30 years with varying degrees of intensity. We did it as a family even though she was afraid of heights. That went on for quite a few years until the rest of the family got tired of it, but I kept going and she supported it.

I was interested in photography and she encouraged me and did it with me. Then it was woodworking and she supported that. Now it’s ham radio, and she encouraged me in that and would even tell me it was time to buy another radio! I don’t think a lot of people realized how much she was behind all my activities, but I could not have done them without her.

Now, I’m not saying goodbye to my memories. Anyone who has lost a loved one recognizes that they will be a part of you forever. Many times a day, I do some little thing that reminds me of her absence. Nor will I forget the lessons Janie taught me.

I do hope to continue writing about where I go from here. I started this blog after I retired so that my friends could follow my “further adventures.” Well, I’ve had plenty but there is more to come and more to share.

Here are our tributes:

Obituary

Katie’s Introduction and Tribute
Rich’s Tribute
Leslie’s Tribute

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