Tuesday, May 16, 2023
When TK checked out of planet earth on November 28, 2022, he paused a great friendship of 63 years, a friendship that didn’t change much, although the participants matured and pursued very different careers. Towards the end, we were talking frequently about many of the same topics—boats, fishing, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas, and cars. As time went by, add in stock market investments, rocket launches and recoveries, exercise, bicycles, and politics. As with all older friends, health issues got more and more attention, as Nancy had a series of bad falls, some chronic conditions, and gradually debilitating visual handicaps that came to exert a dominating influence on much of their lives.
Terry was an insatiable prankster and an indispensable party hound in our undergraduate years at the University of Miami. Always short of cash, he worked hard at the Cities Service gasoline station, and poured his excess energy into useful projects like shooting land crabs, avoiding being picked up for underage drinking at the Hofbrau in Coral Gables, and filling a watermelon with vodka (no, it doesn't work). But he and Nancy stuck together, and got married in the spring of 1962. It was quite an event for me also, as it was the only chance I had to drive a gigantic, shiny black Lincoln transporting the wedding couple away from the church. No old jalopies for this occasion!
And soon, the boat parade began, proceeding from a 16 ft. wooden runabout (which he later capsized) throu a string of fishing vessels, and peaking at a 36 ft. Post sportfisherman. He never tired of swapping boats or stirring up a fishing expedition.
In later years, I lived in California and Virginia, so my visits with Terry and Nancy were infrequent but provided a great opportunity to update our circumstances and (groan!) re-tell the old stories.
When Nancy’s health issues became very threatening in 2022, I saw a strong side of Terry’s personality and love for her that was most admirable. He had for many years driven her to medical appointments in Miami and Maitland, but now he was the sole driver: to Starbucks, the hairdresser, the takeout restaurant, you name it. This was tedious driving, and the trips for medical services were often freighted with discouraging issues. Terry hated the drive to Miami, but never complained about doing it. He was not just a driver, he was a spirit-booster on the trips to and from the eye doctor. Frequently, he and Nancy would call me from the car on their way home and chat about her issues, while she would give useful comments about my own eye concerns. Quite a conversation, inder the circumstances.
Terry was a sincere, generous friend, and I find my life is far less interesting now that he is out of range.
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