Bob passed away last March. He was 80 years old. I hadn't been over to visit Lucy since he passed because I really didn't know what to say. I knew Lucy had been having a hard time. They were inseparable. Bob would take her to the beauty shop every week. They would go to the Piccadilly every Sunday in Kingsport. If Bob was mowing the yard, Lucy would sit outside and watch him. If Bob went to feed their cattle, Lucy would go. They were the sweetest old couple I had ever met. One didn't go anywhere without the other.
I embraced Lucy and could feel that she was just skin and bones. I made a comment about her weight and she said that she weighed 84lbs now. She had always been really thin, but since Bob died last March, she has lost more weight. She finished up watering her flowers and invited me inside. I could tell she was tickled to see me. We went inside to talk a bit, but it just felt really strange that Bob wasn't there. Their house looked exactly the same as it did when I was in high school. That's what I love about elderly couples. They don't mind having outdated furniture and old electronics. They are content with what they have and don't have any desire for the lastest fashionable furniture or fancy smartphones or high-tech appliances. Lucy had sold Bob's truck and their van. But their 2006 Cadillac was in the garage and still looked brand new. Even though she no longer drives, she didn't want to sell the Cadillac because it was a birthday present from Bob.
I didn't know if I should bring up Bob's passing, but I asked her how she had been doing. I could see tears forming in Lucy's eyes as she spoke about that March night back in 2011. Bob had collapsed in the floor upon trying to get to the bathroom early in the morning. She awoke when she heard the thump and called 911. He had a heart attack and died a few days later. Lucy was by his side the whole time. They had been married 57 years.
Fifty Seven Years. I can't get past the 6 month mark in relationships. I cannot even fathom 57 years with a man. I asked her to tell me the story of how they met. I live for romantic stories. I have over ten books about Love Stories. I am obsessed with finding out how people met and courted.
This is the story to the best of my knowledge. Lucy had a male friend who was in the Marines. That male friend of hers befriended Bob while they were stationed in Korea. He told Bob that he would give him Lucy's address if he promised to write her. So Lucy and Bob started writing back and forth. They wrote back and forth for 2 years. Some of the letters didn't get to Bob because he was in the foxhole during the Korean War. After the war, Bob came back to his home in Butler County, KY. He came to see Lucy in Tennessee upon his return. Lucy said she was working at the Eastman and took the bus to downtown Johnson City one day after work. Her family didn't have a phone at the time. So her father came to Johnson City and had a huge grin on his face. Bob was in town to see Lucy. Lucy was so excited. Lucy met Bob in person for the first time in downtown Johnson City. It was Love at First Sight. They saw each other 3 times, then were married in 1954.
Bob never said an angry word towards her. Sure they had their disagreements over 57 years of marriage, but she said he was a good man and treated her with respect and always showed her his love. She said that she thought Bob had sensed that he was sick. Three months before his death, he had asked his nephew if he would take care of Lucy when he passed. I listened intently as she spoke of how hard it was to sleep in the bed without him. She said one of her friend's who was also a widow, told Lucy to start sleeping on Bob's side of the bed. Lucy said she had been having trouble sleeping. But the first night she switched sides and slept on Bob's side of the bed, she slept the best she had since he passed.
I plan to visit Lucy more in the future. I have always loved older people and their easy-going, simple lives. Lucy still enjoys doing crafts and making embroidered handkerchiefs. She has no plans to go to a nursing home. She is content living in the home her and Bob shared for many years. My dad mows her yard and she has some family and friends who bring her food. She sent me home with some chocolate pies she made. She still cooks and even though her body is frail, she is still able to live independently.
I can only pray to one day find a love like Bob and Lucy's. Their love was the Forever Kind. A love that withstood the test of time........♥
Rest In Peace Bob Adkins
1931-2011
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