Another Farewell

On Tuesday afternoon, while checking Facebook, a strange post showed up saying our dear friend Suzi O had passed away. I couldn’t believe it. So, I messaged the person who made the post. It was true. I was blindsided.

 

We knew her in high school as Elaine Benioff. She was in Larry’s class, two years ahead of me. My best friend was in the same class, and I knew many of her friends. (At his reunions, I often have had to tell him who the people were because I knew more of them than he did.)

 

I remembered her because of her gorgeous long, blonde hair.

We attended Larry’s 20^th class reunion in the fall of 1982. On the Sunday morning, following the big celebration on Saturday night, many of us ate brunch in the hotel. We sat with Elaine, now called Suzi. (In high school, she used her middle name. After she graduated, she switched to her first name: Susan. It morphed into Suzi. Her married name was Osborne.) During the meal, we found out she lived on Maui. We had planned a trip there not long after the reunion, so we made arrangements to visit her while we were there.

At the time, she ran a small newspaper, and we met her in the office. She also had become a minister and conducted weddings. Her logo read: Get Married on Maui. She did this for many years. We spent the afternoon with her and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. From then on, we visited with her each time we went.

 

We attended their subsequent high school reunions and always spent time with Suzi. She was pure joy and a bright light. We looked forward to being with her. We laughed a lot.

 

When she came to Orange County, she often stayed with us and made our house her headquarters.

 

Suzi experienced a house fire and lost her home. She put whatever remained in storage and moved back to Fresno, California. Her mother had started having health issues, so Suzi felt she was needed here.

 

She began to make one or two trips to Bali each year, getting to know people and buying handcrafted items from the local artists: bags, clothing, scarves, tablecloths, jewelry, wooden carvings, gift items etc. (If you read the book Eat, Pray, Love, you may remember the guru mentioned in the book. Suzi knew him. She showed us pictures and told stories about him.)

 

She arranged for “Bali Boutiques,” hosted in private homes (sort of like Tupperware parties), where she sold her wares. I hosted several of these for her and invited my friends. The best part of hosting was having her stay here. She usually arrived the day before, and we played. She often stayed for a few days afterward, and we had more opportunities for fun.

 

In August of 2010, we held an Arts Festival at our church. When I mentioned it to Suzi, she immediately said she wanted to take part. She secured a space and sold her items there. She did very well.

 

The day of the festival was my birthday. I stopped by her booth and pointed out a couple of items I really liked. Unbeknownst to me, she talked Larry into getting me a gorgeous blue stone pendant. I love it and have worn it often.

 

By the next time she came, she had found new venues: senior living centers. Some worked well for her. Others, not so much. But her joie de vis was contagious. She genuinely loved people, and they were attracted to her. On one trip down to Orange County, one of her senior homes cancelled. She asked if I knew of any. I told her about the one my mother had lived in, and she made arrangements for a show there. I went along with her since I still knew many of the residents and staff. We spent a fun day. I don’t think she made too much money, but she charmed everyone, and we laughed a lot.

 

In 2012, they celebrated their 50^th class reunion. The party was held in Balboa. We invited Suzi to stay with us, but she wasn’t even sure she could make it because her mom wasn’t doing well. She said she’d meet us at the party, which she did.

She left early to drive straight back to Fresno. Her mother died shortly thereafter, and she moved back to Maui, the place she loved best.

 

In 2015, Larry and I celebrated our fiftieth wedding anniversary. A week later, we left for a two-week vacation in Hawaii. Our first stop was Maui, where we stayed a week with Suzi. She had planned activities for every day we were with her. She got tickets for Noises Off at the local theater. Suzi was very active in the theater, appearing on stage several times,

 

We joined some of the other theater folks for dinner before the show. We really enjoyed this delightful farce.

 

On Friday night, Kahului held a street fair with food and music and booths. Mostly, we walked the main street with her as Suzi met and greeted friends. We became convinced she knew everyone on the island.

Another day, we arranged to have brunch with the gentleman who inspired the protagonist of our mysteries, Agapé Jones. We invited Suzi to join us. Not too surprisingly, she and he already knew each other as well as many mutual friends.

 

We were plotting a new mystery at the time and were looking for a senior living facility on Maui to include in the book. I had mentioned this to her before we arrived. Being Suzi, she’d arranged for a tour of the best facility on the island, where her friend was the director.

 

On Saturday morning, we went to the marketplace at the college. I found a beautiful caftan and several gift items. Larry bought a T-shirt.

 

Later that evening, she hosted a potluck party. Included were some of the same people with whom we had eaten dinner the night of the play. We took part in one of her traditional games: a version of charades where we acted out the names of famous people. We broke into two teams. Although some of the players were quite competitive, it was more about the camaraderie and laughs. Oh, and the great food. We stayed up late because no one wanted to go home.

 

In 2017, Larry’s class held their 55^th reunion. Suzi came and stayed with us. She arrived early, and we spent some time with her. We attended the event together, and had a great time, as always.

2017 – Photo by Gary Bosley

The following morning, she left to see Fr. Ed Benioff (a cousin, I think) installled as pastor of Church of the Good Shepherd in L.A.  She took a dedicated copy of our book "The Memory Keeper" to him as a gift.

She later went to a spa near San Diego. While there, she ran into our friend, the inspiration for our retired detective. We didn’t know he was in town and didn’t see him, but she did.

 

Last October, they held a 75^th birthday party for the class. Suzi had planned to come, and we had expected her to stay with us. Unfortunately, she had to cancel. Her landlord wanted her to move so he could rent the house to a family member.

 

While in the moving process, she fell and broke her back. Thank goodness, she had great friends who helped her with the move and took care of her until she healed.

 

Through the years, we remained in touch through email and Facebook.

 

Her birthday parties became legendary on Maui. We always received an invitation, but somehow, the timing never worked out. She had entertainment—some of the best musicians in Hawaii. A large crowd turned out for the food and music and dancing, and she had a ball.

 

Because of the virus, her usual extravaganza didn’t happen last month. But we expected to see her again once the current situation allowed travel.

 

This is why the news of her death was such a shock. She had cancer. Later, I learned that when she died, she was surrounded by friends and lots of love.

 

I am grateful for the wonderful memories we shared with her, and we will miss her terribly.

Suzi’s birthday 2018 – photo by Bruce Forrester

Somewhere in heaven she is organizing a big party with some of her friends like the recently departed Willie K. And she is laughing. Aloha, Suzi!

REPUBLISHING ACHES AND PAINS

This week, my dear friend, Marilyn Meredith, writes about the republishing process. In the past several years, she has now republished almost all of her books as self-published.

It all began when my good friend, Lorna, urged me to self-publish the Rocky Bluff P.D. mystery series. She and her husband had already done the same for my Deputy Tempe Crabtree series when the publisher closed its doors. Lorna and I both re-edited every book in the series, and her husband, Larry, redid the new covers for publication. And of course, Lorna did the actual job of putting the books on Amazon as trade paperback and for Kindle.

When the publisher of the RBPD series passed away, another publisher picked up the authors’ books, including mine. However, I had so many, the republishing process was slow. I’d already experienced the advantage of the Crabtree series being self-published because of my ability to actually see what books were being purchased, and if the promotion of a particular book worked.

As with the other series, the process began with Lorna editing each book and then my going over it, too. This was an eye-opener. These books had first been heard and critiqued by my writers’ group, re-edited by me, edited by the first publisher, then the second publisher, but Lorna discovered many mistakes, and then, I went through them, too. Not only did I find more mistakes like simple typos, but also character’s name changes, and a few discrepancies. Despite all that work, I’m sure we still missed some errors.

Larry redid all the covers, each one in a different color, with a wonderful RBPD badge on each one. An entire set of the books creates a wonderful rainbow.

The whole series is now available on Amazon.

This may sound easy, but it was a lot of work. At times, I wondered if it would be worth it—and I’ll bet there were moments when Lorna wished she hadn’t urged me to switch to self-publishing.

I must say, I wasn’t up to doing this myself. I’m at a stage in life where I have trouble learning how to do new things. None of this would have happened without Lorna’s and Larry’s expertise, and I’m forever grateful.

If you’d like to start at the beginning of the series, here’s the link to Final Respects:

https://tinyurl.com/y8ggfa4r

However, each book is written as a stand-alone. There are continuing characters, but the crime or crimes are solved by the end of the book.

One of my favorites is Murder in the Worst Degree.

https://tinyurl.com/yagpv3hq  The Kindle version of this book will be FREE from today, July 24, through the 28th. If you downloaded the old version, you may want to try this one. See if you can find any differences.

Marilyn writes the RBPD series as F. M. Meredith. She is the author of over forty published books. She lived for over twenty years in a beach town with many similarities to Rocky Bluff. She’s a member of two chapters of Sisters in Crime, Public Safety Writers Association and other writers’ groups.

Webpage: http://fictionforyou.com

Blog: https://marilynmeredith.blogspot.com/

50th Anniversary 9/5/2015 Casey’s Thoughts

I recently went through the photos of our 50th anniversary and created a video of the celebration and party. (September 5, 2015. Most photos by Heather Taylor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeuEBcKPNXg 

I also found the audio recording of the ceremony. I have now transcribed each of our speeches. This last one is from my brother-in-love, Casey Collins.

I’m Casey, Larry Collins’s brother. To you, it’s an introduction, but to me it’s a title, and it’s a title I’ve always been really proud of. Larry mentioned we grew up in an awesome family. Our parents were terrific. There is quite a span in age between Larry and me. Because of the war, WWII, and a few other issues, I was seven years younger.

Casey 2 & Larry 9

Larry 12 & Casey 5

Larry was always there to take care of me. I was the tag-along. He would let me go with him and was incredibly kind and amazingly nice to me because I wasn’t always someone to be nice to. We had a really, really close relationship. He introduced me at an early age to surfing and skateboarding and motorcycle riding, all kinds of great activities.

Surfers circa 1969

Larry didn’t have a lot of girlfriends. Most of them weren’t interested in having his little brother hang out with them. So, I kind of got pushed to the side.

Lorna was different, and that’s why she’s my favorite. She was the one who let me tag along with them when Larry went surfing and when they went to the movies and activities. She was awesome. She didn’t separate me from my brother.

Larry saved my life in the ocean one time. I think he probably saved a lot of lives.

I wanted to mention how Lorna gained my respect. Larry was a surfer, and surfing isn’t the glamorous, beach party thing. When they were married, Lorna would go with us early in the morning to the beach. We lived in Alhambra, so we were always going to Santa Barbara or San Diego to surf. She earned my respect by the way she handled it.

For example, we would leave the house at oh-dark-thirty in the morning because we had a one-hour or two-hour drive to get to the specific surfing spot where we wanted to go before it got light. We surfed both in the winter and the summer, so the conditions could be a bit rough. The beaches we went to were either covered in rocks or the sand was full of seaweed and flies. Lorna would record us surfing on 8mm film. Then she would sit in the car and read.

About ten o’clock, the sun would start to break through to make a pretty day at the beach. This was about the time we’d load up the car and head back home because we were done for the day. It seemed so difficult for her to do, but she never complained.

When I was fifteen-and-a-half, I got my learner’s permit. I was allowed to drive with my brother because he had a license. So, I was allowed to drive on our surf trips. Lorna had a Ford T-bird, and she would let me drive it to the beach.

[Here is a video--from old home movies―of all of us going to the beach together with Casey driving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPyrJaJ4zF8 ~Lorna]

Somewhere in there, I gained a sister, because she was really great.

As a couple, they faced some challenges. Our family was so close, but no matter where it was—Chicago or Denver or later on Japan—they had to leave their friends and family, pack up Kimberly, and off they would go. I think it was actually great for them. They had no one else to rely on but each other. They really built a strong relationship at that point.

Then, they were apart a lot. Larry was in Turkey and Alaska and other places where he spent weeks on business. It kept him away from Lorna, but it made them stronger.

They were always kind to each other. They were always encouraging. They enjoyed each other’s company wherever they went. It’s still obvious they like each other a lot.

Fifty years ago, at Marengo Avenue Methodist Church, they made a vow that they would love, honor, and cherish each other. I know God smiled at that time. Not because of that moment, but because of this moment.

September 4, 1965 - Family

It’s fifty years later, they kept that vow. And they are ready to renew it again. It’s something to be proud of. Congratulations on fifty years, and we love you both.

September 5, 2015

50th Anniversary - Kathleen’s Thoughts 9/5/2015

I recently went through the photos of our 50th anniversary and created a video of the celebration and party. (September 5, 2015. Most photos by Heather Taylor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeuEBcKPNXg 

I also found the audio recording of the ceremony. I have now transcribed each of our speeches. I'll share the last one with you next week.

My dearest friend, Kathleen Murphy Stewart, was my maid-of-honor when we were married in September of 1965. She loathed speaking in public, but she made an exception for the occasion of the celebration of our 50^th anniversary. Her husband said she practiced for two days ahead of the ceremony. She did a good job. It was wonderful hearing her voice again when we listened to the recording. We lost her a few weeks ago, and I miss her.

Chapter 1

There is a thief among us. This thief has stolen from each of us, all of us, has stolen the same thing, the same exact amount from each of us. But this thief is known to all of us, and all too frequently, never missing a visit and never missing an opportunity to steal.

No, this is not one of Lorna and Larry’s novels. As true yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the name of that thief is time. Time steals from all of us. Time steals many things, but it can never steal the most important things. Time cannot steal our friendships. Time cannot steal our memories, locked in our hearts.

Try as it might, time leaves friendship and memories untouched because these alone rest in our hearts and stay with us, despite the ravages of time.

Lorna and I have been friends for three-score-and-seven years. We share our friendship and many memories, and the thief cannot break in and steal them from us. Our shared memories stand as the foundation of our relationship.

Chapter 2

There was blood. The blood will flow. The blood was shed. The blood will incriminate. The blood will not be washed away. Perry Mason can’t make blood disappear. Columbo will find it. Sherlock Holmes will deduce it. Sam Spade will slip on it. But the blood will not be stolen from the thief of time.

This is not another novel in progress, believe me. But Lorna and I were the best of the best of friends, living two houses apart growing up from before kindergarten and into college.

One time, we really did draw blood. We obtained a sewing needle and stuck ourselves. We mixed our blood. At once we were thrilled because we became blood sisters. True sisters at last. We’d always been sisters in our hearts, but now, we were truly sisters.

Back: Eileen, Karen, Dennis, Kathy, Lorna, Suzanne, David, Diane, Kathleen

Front: Ron, Jan, John

Chapter 3

Lorna and I were together through all seasons. We did what best friends do: we rode bikes, roller-skated, played Monopoly, and had a good time all year ‘round. Especially here in California where the weather is so nice.

Chapter 4

The eternal triangle was based on many stories, was written about in many books, and was the basis of many movies. Lorna, Larry, and I were sort of a triangle. But not the one you think.

Larry and I went from kindergarten through high school together. At our high school graduation, Larry comforted me by holding my hand as I tearfully wished those days would not end.

More recently, he kept my chair from sliding down the slope at my mother’s graveside service.

Chapter 5

You’ve already heard how I got them got together at the football game.

A half century ago, I was their maid of honor. After the wedding, I used all my athletic skills and jumped as high as I could for the bridal bouquet. I was pretty athletic, but I still missed it. But perhaps I caught Lorna and Larry’s wishes for me because just two weeks later, I was engaged. And the next year, I was married with Lorna serving as my matron-of honor.

Sherry Ellen Van Clief (Cowell), Patty Hair, Claudia Sue McGee (Gates), Kathleen, Lorna

My husband is here, and we just celebrated our forty-ninth. Our fiftieth is coming up. Thank the Lord.

To bring these remarks to a close and bring you up to date, I must relate that during most of my life, I have been only an occasional reader. I read their first effort, 31 Months in Japan. But then I read The Memory Keeper, and now I have read all of their published books. This activity has made me a voracious reader. I have read more in this last year than I did in previous years. My Kindle, which is packed with books, is never far from me.

So, now I give thanks, not only for the friendship and memories of my true sis, Lorna, and longtime and all-around buddy, Larry, but their gift of adding the value of dimension to my life.

September 5, 2015 Bill, Larry, Kathleen, Lorna

50th Anniversary Celebration - Lorna’s Thoughts 9/5/2015

I recently went through the photos of our 50th anniversary and created a video of the celebration and party. (September 5, 2015. Most photos by Heather Taylor)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeuEBcKPNXg 

I also found the audio recording of the ceremony. I have now transcribed each of our speeches, and I'll share them with you for the next three weeks. Here is mine. Larry's was last week.

It was a gift to marry into Larry’s family. It truly was. They knew how to do love, and they demonstrated it freely. Like he said, there was never an outsider—ever.

He’s not the only one with a history of long marriage. Today with us, are my aunt and uncle, Evelyn and Frank George. My aunt is my mother’s youngest sister. Two weeks ago, they celebrated their seventy-second wedding anniversary. So, I had some really good modeling, too.

Frank & Evelyn – 75^th Anniversary

About the time I was thirteen, Aunt Evie and I went from niece and aunt to good friends, and she is one of my favorite playmates. We have always had the best time with them.

When I was going through our wedding book a week or so ago, I found this really terrible poem. And I have to apologize. It I got it in a contest today, I’d throw it out. But it was there, and it’s what I wrote when I was eighteen. So please forgive me, but I thought it was fun to find it, so here it is.

Two young people at Alhambra High,

He was a junior. A freshman was I.

We dated awhile, and then no more.

I thought we were parted forever, for sure.

But two years later, by accident,

It seemed as though we were heaven-sent,

We met one day at the Miracle Mart,

And on February thirteenth, our romance had its start.

A ring on the phone

For a Valentine’s dance

At Cal Poly School,

And my answer was, “Yes.”

Now just two years later,

His ring I am wearing,

And after September,

His life I’ll be sharing.

This was from July of 1965.

About a week ago I heard from my—I won’t say “oldest” but “longest”―friend. (I’ve known Kathleen since I was two. She was my maid of honor.) She asked, “How did that sequence of stuff go when you met? She was there for all of it, but it was hard to keep it in order. So, I wrote it down for her, and I thought maybe some of you would be interested. So, here it is.

Larry and I saw one another and knew who the other was at Marguerita Elementary School. He used to deliver Avon on his bicycle for his mother, Letha, so my mother knew him, too. She was in love with him from the time he was a little boy and stayed in love with him until the day she died.

The summer before I started Alhambra High School, we were at Crestline at Club St. Moritz at the same time. My mother formally introduced us there, but at that time, Larry had a girlfriend.

In the fall of 1960, my freshman year in high school, I went to a football game with my best friend, Kathleen. She really wanted to sit with Tom Dixon, who was a guy she was kind of going with at the time. So, we met him there since he didn’t drive. At the game, Kathleen sat next to Tom, and I sat next to her.

At halftime, Larry joined us in the stands, and he sat down next to me. My hands were really icy, so he put them in his jacket pocket and kept them warm.

I’d had a crush on him since I was about twelve, but he had no idea who I was. His mother knew I had a crush on him, but he was clueless. Now that I was fourteen, he kind of caught on. (He has admitted the Collins men are kind of clueless.) it took him a while.

We all decided we’d go out for cokes after the game. Of course, both Kathleen and I had to call our parents. This was in the days when there were pay phones, and there was one at Moor Field where the game was held. My mother only agreed to let me go (keep in mind, I was only fourteen) because she adored Larry, and Kathleen was going to be along.

So, we went to a burger place called Yankee Doodle’s and we had cokes.

A couple of weeks later, the guys asked us to go to the drive-in to see Swiss Family Robinson. Since Tom and Kathleen sat in the backseat, I’m not sure whether they actually watched the movie or not. I can tell you those of us in the front seat did. Part of it is because Larry, by his own admission, is kind of cheap, and he didn’t want to pay for a movie he didn’t see. So, there we were.

A couple of weeks later, we all went to the San Gabriel Theater to see Cinderfella. After we dropped off Tom and Kathleen, Larry walked me to the door, and he asked if he could kiss me goodnight. Of course, I said yes.

He attended my family’s New Year’s Eve party, and when we came home, he started to kiss me, but I stopped him. That was because my grandmother was sleeping in the living room, and my grandmother was kind of an enforcer. I figured she was probably looking out the window, and I knew there would be heck to pay if she saw me kissing a boy. But he didn’t know why. I thought I’d really hurt his feelings.

I didn’t hear from him for a while, but I heard from friends he’d actually gone back to his old girlfriend. It turns out, she’d gotten sick, and he felt she needed him. It’s a pretty good recommendation for him as a person, but I wasn’t happy. In fact, it took me months to get over losing him.

Fast forward to February of 1963. Kathleen and I walked over to Crawford’s Miracle Mart, directly behind my house. It was a great store. They carried almost everything. We ran into Larry. I’d heard his girlfriend had broken up with him a few months earlier because he wasn’t exciting enough. That was good for me. I was going with someone else at the time, but we were fighting a lot, and I could see the handwriting on the wall.

Larry bought us ice cream and then drove us home. He dropped Kathleen at her house and then accepted my invitation to come in for some fresh chocolate chip cookies I’d baked earlier. See, even then I knew the way to get his interest was through food. Hasn’t changed at all.

Over tea and cookies, we talked until after dark. (My mother joined us.) When he left, I knew something important had changed.

At about nine, he called, and we talked for another hour. He finally asked me to the Valentine’s Day dance at Cal Poly, Pomona, where he was a student. I said yes, of course. Later on, he told me he’d picked up the phone several times before he actually made the call because he sensed it would be important to his future.

Valentine’s Dance 1963

During the evening, I marveled at how at ease I felt with him and how much fun I was having. The dance definitely confirmed my relationship with the other guy was over.

Two and a half years later, we were married.