The Last Week of Bob and Betty

Two months ago I wrote a post titled “The Week of Bob and Betty” because they had had a rough week with medical problems and hospital stays.  At the end of that week there was a happy ending because they were able to be together for their 64th wedding anniversary.  I did not know then that in two months they would pass away within 5 days of each other.  This past week was the last week of Bob and Betty.

Bob Landry married Betty Lou Bucklin on November 1, 1952, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

This post is about when their lives ended, but also about their lives together.  The photo I’m using is a photo of their wedding, which is when their lives together officially began.  The date was November 1, 1952, and the place was the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Lake Charles, Louisiana.  As you can tell from the photo, they were kinda happy.

I don’t know why I had never scanned this photo before.  I thought that their wedding photos were blurry or eyes were closed.  My siblings suggested I add this to the photo memorial, so I found the photo and scanned it.  It’s a great photo of both of them!  So why wasn’t there a large copy of it framed and hanging in their house?

Because their life was about their family.  There were family photos on the walls at different times in their life.  They also had photos of their children on top of their piano and TV.  Then when the grandkids came along, the refrigerator was plastered with all of the events of their lives.  Their house was so festive when the family all came together at the holidays.  We were watching old videos the other night and the festivity is what struck me the most.  Of course the Christmas after the death of my sister Jodie was a bit subdued, but the family recovered their joy.  (As she wanted and knew we would.)

There was always a lot of love in their house.  They made sure we knew that they loved each other by always calling each other “Honey” and always greeting each other with a loving kiss.  They were not perfect and no one is.  They were loving parents and always wanted the best for us.  In different ways they let us know that they were confident in our abilities to succeed.  They believed in us.

So this is about the last week of Bob and Betty.  But not really.  Every day is a day of Bob and Betty for me.  I carry their genes in my cells everywhere I go.  But more importantly I carry their love for me wherever I go.  That will continue.