Jane traditionally wrote this. Sadly I’m writing it this year because the love of my life passed away very unexpectedly on September 16, 2010. She had a bacterial infection in her blood. The initial symptoms were very slight just a minor cough. The night of the 15th she was complaining of a back ache and looking flush and we thought she had caught the flu in Milwaukee. (We had just returned Monday the 13th from a trip to see our grand daughter for her first birthday). The walk in clinics were closing at 8 pm so we decided to wait until morning to go to the doctor. She stayed downstairs that night and I checked on her and gave her medication every 4 hours around 6 am I woke to her screaming out in pain and told her we were going to the emergency room. We got there shortly after 6:30 am and by 9 am she was gone. I watched as seven doctors and nurses worked frantically over her for an hour and a half to try and save her but they couldn’t. The medical examiner explained to me at length how some bacterial infections have very minor symptoms even though you are extremely sick. He also stated that the back pain she experienced through that night was her adrenal glands on her kidneys failing and by that point she was already dying.
Jason, Kelly and Karina stayed with us the week of the funeral, Alex and Erin continue to live at home with me. I’m grateful I’m not home alone even though this continues to be so very difficult to just comprehend let alone to deal with it. I tried grieving alone and just couldn’t deal with it effectively so I’m seeing a bereavement counsellor at Hospice of Chattanooga and also attending monthly group sessions. The Hospice organization is wonderful and they have provided me with ongoing support as well as reading material to help me cope. I’d recommend a Hospice organization to anyone dealing with a significant loss or impending loss.
Erin continues to work at Pet Smart and is the fish queen. Anyone who comes in wanting fish wind up talking to Erin for the low down on how to care for their fish. She bought a Conure Parrot named Coco and her boyfriend Seth bought one too Zorak. The two birds are fast friends now and once they get older they’ll be talking to us! A while back the pair of them came walking and talking up the hall looking for Erin it was hilarious. Seth is finishing up his IT degree at Chatt State and hopes to land a real job soon, working at Best Buy wears on his nerves now and then.
Alex was attending Chatt State for accounting but hasn’t been able to continue with what’s happened. He continues to be the best bowler in the family and routinely beats dear old dad on Thursday nights. He’s usually right around a 230 average so I’m a good 30 pins behind him. Alex and I spent a lot of effort in yard work these last couple of months, don’t know if Jane would have approved of what we’ve done, but we made a major overhaul to almost all the shrubs in the yard. We’ll see what the results are come spring! Just bowled again last night he went 712 and I managed 611! I used to think averaging 200 was good until Alex came along.
I’m thankful for all the things Jane and I packed into her last few months. We took Alex and Seth to an Atlanta Braves baseball game and got to see Stephen Strasburg the rookie Washington Nationals pitcher who routinely throws over 100 mph. Jane always loved baseball. Jane came home one July day and said turkeys were on sale so we had Thanksgiving in July. She made the whole spread just like Thanksgiving pies and all, little did we know how appropriate that was at the time. We finally got Alex to Savannah for his 21st birthday, in August though, not last December. So he could experience all the frozen concoctions at Wet Willies. He was drinking things like Call a Cab and Attitude Adjustment so you can imagine how potent they were. I just stuck to my Chocolate Thunder kind a like a high test fudgesicle taste. Jane was always partial to strawberry daiquiris and such. We attended the Hall of Fame game at the Chattanooga Lookouts, our local baseball team, they inducted Tommy Lasorda and Cal Ermer a former Minnesota Twins coach who used to come in to work so we could copy his scouting sheets. Alex was there one day and got to see his Minnesota Twins world series championship ring. Man that thing was huge and full of diamonds, his stories were great too. Finally we went to see Kelly and Jason and to be there for Karina’s first birthday party and spent some wonderful time with them. Jane didn’t like being an absentee grandma much, being so
far away and all. I was very glad when Erin told me she told her she finally felt like a grandma after that trip.
And Lastly I’m thankful for the 12,012 days I spent totally in love with Jane E. I still love her bunches and bunches, as I always said to her, and miss her dearly and only wish I had a chance to really say goodbye. I never expected not to leave the hospital with her that day. So at this time of year take an extra minute to express how you feel to your loved ones and realize how precious it is to have them in your life. To all those who are just finding out now, or have sent a lovely card, or sat quietly in a chair, perhaps you sent a funeral spray, perhaps you spoke the kindest words, or just kept us in your prayers, or just a thought of her or us that day or any day, whatever you did to console our hearts, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts whatever was your part.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s. Keith Noyes and family.
In Loving Memory of Jane E. Noyes 10/29/1952 to 09/16/2010
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