Shinn the Writer

Betty’s memorial

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I’ve lived in my current house for nearly 44 years, having moved in on November 1, 1981. When I moved in, Dick and Betty were already living in the house across the street. I remember watching the basket mounted above their garage door getting substantial use from kids Jim and Kate. Oh, and one of the parents. It wasn’t Dick. I watched Betty shoot and thought “this woman has played before.”

 

I would later have a chat with Dick about Betty’s athletic prowess. Basically, if Title 9 had come into being earlier, his wife would likely have been competing at the national level in any of several sports. I had no reason to doubt him.

 

I was never especially close to these neighbors across the street, but it was always a good relationship and I can only hope that they thought as much of me as a neighbor as I did of them. It was tragic that many years later, each would suffer a serious stroke that limited their activities substantially. The couple would later move to a nearby assisted living facility. Dick would pass away during the pandemic, his memorial held over Zoom. Then, this last August 10, Betty joined him.

 

I heard from Kate about the memorial for her mother. As I prepared for the event, I found that even having recently lost about 12 or 13 pounds, I couldn’t fit into either of my sport coats. No matter, I had a nice shirt and slacks, and it’s difficult to outgrow a tie. But would I remember how to tie a tie? I hadn’t done so in quite some time. I was surprised that it only took me two attempts to get the correct result. I couldn’t find my tie clips, so I simply didn’t use one.

 

The service itself was very nice and enlightening. I suppose many kids are taught The Lord’s Prayer as a bedtime ritual. My mom did that for me, and it seemed to be a very strong memory for Betty’s kids. There are a number of versions out there varying by a word here or a phrase there, but the one they used (printed in the handout) was only one word off (an inconsequential “and”, certainly not enough to send anyone to Hell for eternity) from to the one I had learned so long ago and still recite before going to sleep. I find it helps me clear my head. At the service, we all recited it at near the beginning of the service. It would not be the only thing I would learn that made me feel closer to she and her family.