Fran...My wife of 19 short years...Mother of my three children. Died September 18, 1991. Fran contracted and suffered terribly from bone cancer for 1 1/2 years. Due to the wonders of some medical science, her condition went undetected for over a year and from the time she was actually diagnosed until her death was only 4 months...
I am so fortunate to have had the support of family and friends during Fran's last 4 months. My brother and my parents came down from Connecticut quite often, David (my brother) often stayed with me for days on end, forsaking his family and business to be with us. The ambulance corps I belong to also helped immensely, transporting Fran to and from hospitals and doctors on a regular basis and never a complaint.
During the last four months of Fran's short life, (she died a month shy of her 39th birthday) she was only home for 13 days. My sons and I were members of a Boy Scout Troop here on Long Island in NY and one day while we were away at the hospital visiting Fran, the troop came by the house and constructed a handicap ramp for easier access to the house for Fran, who was unable to walk or sit due to the bone cancer, has to be transported on a stretcher. The ramp was a great help.
It's hard, relating what death is to young children. Our kids were only 8, 10 and 12 when Fran died. I did the best I could, and with each visit to see Fran, I had the kids say goodbye as if it might be their last chance. Fran knew the end was near by the 2nd week in September. We talked about what the future might be without her. She filled me with such hope that I could carry on without her. I did not want to believe a word of it and would have done anything, including selling my soul to the devil to be able to trade places with her. That was not to be. Fran passed away quietly in my arms, in the early morning hours of September 18, 1991. She was one of a kind.
More than 300 people attended her funeral. While her father and brothers thought the funeral was more like a circus than a solemn rite, it seemed like everyone that knew Fran and was touched by her was there. Our children's teachers of various years, principals of the schools they attended, ladies of the PTA, leaders of the Girl Scouts, Cub & Boy Scouts, scouts themselves, friends and relatives were there. All wanted to bid Fran goodbye. There were over 100 cars in the procession to the cemetery. I could not believe the outpouring of love from our community.
I still love and miss my Franny-anny after 12 years. As is recorded on her headstone, She was the Wind Beneath Our Wings.
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