Paul Richard Hain
Yesterday, Maxwell and Marcie, our two standard poodles took a walk with me as the day was transitioning to nighttime. The sun had set about fifteen minutes earlier. The sky was a beautiful mix of deep colors, cloud formations and the dark azure above me. It was a magnificent moment that faded over the next five minutes or . so.I was so grateful to have lived to see it. My dogs pay little attention to the sky. They like sniffing the leaves along the edge of the road. They are my companions, though and we enjoy each other's compan.
Another of our tribe of Niles West Indians has left us. I got a call from Cathy, Tom Hansen's wife who told me that he passed away yesterday as the day came to an end. He was in the Cleveland Clinic, awaiting a heart transplant when he lost his battle. This must have happened when I was watching the sky. I don't know if it's soulfulness, sentimental, wishing or if there is something more to it, but the sky holds a mystical magnificence to me and it is my hope that those who have passed somehow are enjoying the same beautiful view, as me.
Tom was a sprinter in high school. He could run, and after a race, his heart-rate would be in the 50's. We joked about how that was possible. About five years ago, his heart would go so slow that he began to black out. That began treatment including a Pacemaker and heart monitor.
His career had been a professional black smith in southern Illinois. Cathy retired as a school librarian and Tom sold the black smith shop. They headed west to Placitas, NM and personally built a beautiful desert hacienda bed and breakfast called The Blue Horse. They ran it for about 15 years. About a year ago, they decided to sell The Blue Horse and move to Cleveland, OH where their oldest daughter and family live. Good thing. Because Tom's health problems got worse and were well-served by the Cleveland Clinic. Tom and Cathy have two daughters, Laura and Carrie and four grandchildren.
Tom and I were friends for more than sixty years, and I will miss him dearly. No arrangements are made at this point. For those of you who knew Tom and want to send a card, please contact me for the address.
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