Remembering Leroy
A poignant visit in Fairfield, Virginia
To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
A Man for All Reasons
I’m writing this post in the passenger seat as Darlene takes a turn at the wheel on I-81 South to Asheville, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Mountains roll by with fading color in the tall trees.
Our stay at Michel’s home in Fairfield, Virginia, reminded all three of us what we miss about her husband, who passed five years ago at the age of 80.
Leroy and I became friends while working at a gas company in Casper, Wyoming. He and Michel moved to Virginia when he retired. His love of beauty and attention to detail are on display in every room of the home they built, set on a hill at the end of a country road.
This morning as I lay in bed in the guest room, I admired the elegant crown molding along the ceiling. While Darlene and Michel visited and played Liverpool Rummy, I worked in a cozy, sunny breakfast nook off the dining room.
When the house was finished, Leroy turned his artist’s eye to wood turning. With a lathe, he created perfect bowls and kitchen tools that looked as if they should be in museums.
At the gas company, he paid attention to the safe operation of miles of pipeline that stretched across the prairie. I didn’t know then about his artistic side. I just knew his common sense and emotional intelligence made him indispensable in good times and bad.
Darlene remembers how fun Leroy was. His love of cars and life was infectious. “He used to say I was like a little sister to him,” she said as we were recording today’s Morning Journal. “He was the kindest man.”
It’s hard for me to imagine what the loss of Leroy means for Michel. They were soulmates, travelers, adventurers, and lovers. She now takes care of the home she and Leroy created in the hills of Virginia, mowing the lawn, tending the trees and maintaining close ties with her neighbors.
Sugar, her Manchester Terrier, keeps Michel company and was a gracious host for Sophie during our stay.
A good visit. A good man. A reminder of how precious life is.
Tonight we will stay with our friend Kathleen near Asheville. Tomorrow we head to Charlotte, North Carolina, to canvass for Kamala. More door knocking is on tap in Savanah, Georgia, where will spend Election Night before returning to the Sunshine State.