Six Word Saturday

My six words for today are:   Memories…Friend’s husband killed… on Easter

Yesterday, while I was at the post office, I ran into an old friend, and former co-worker.  She and I chatted while waiting for our turn at the service desk.  On my way home the memories of that horrific Easter came flooding back in my mind…

This particular friend is one of those truly special people who are rare.  She’s sweet, kind, and loved by everyone who knows her.  Her former husband was the same way.  The two had been high school sweethearts, married, and eventually became parents of two boys.  She was a kindergarten teacher, he was the vice-president of a corporation here in our town.  Their children and our children were close in age…they went to preschool together…in later years,  my oldest son often went to their house to play basketball…and worked at the same corporation as her husband.  She and I worked at school together for years.

On that fateful, horrible, Easter morning about 8 years ago, this friend and her husband were in the kitchen together cooking Easter dinner.  He went outside to check on the water sprinkler…and he never returned.   She eventually went to check on him, and found him slumped in their yard–shot to death!

We live in a small rural town, and things like that just don’t happen here!  This incident shook our whole town.  I still remember our family was eating Easter dinner when the call came… with the horrible news…we just couldn’t believe it!  The memory of it all still sickens me… 

Turns out that a local young man(early 20’s) had gotten upset with my friend’s  husband over something that happened at work(at the corporation)…he stalked him, and hid in the woods behind their house on Easter morning, then waited until the husband came outside to check the sprinkler…then fired the fatal shot.  The young man was a former employee, and had a history of mental illness–he is also the son of the largest local bank’s president!

A trial was eventually held, and the young man was found guilt by reason of insanity.  The trial was a very big deal here…because all involved were “high-profile” people.  The shooter is now in some sort of mental prison facility for the  rest of his life…The whole incident shook our little town to its very core…it was a sad situation for all involved…my friend was widowed, her two boys were left without a father, and a mother and father lost their son to a life in prison…(I graduated with the father of the killer, and my youngest son worked at his bank for a while)

Time marches on, and thankfully my friend was able to put things behind her and move forward with her life.  She met another nice man(someone who grew up here), and remarried a couple of years ago.  Her sons grew up, went to college, and both are fine young men.  She’s since retired from teaching, and we often bump into each other while shopping around town. 

I always wonder how my friend’s family copes with Easter since that fateful day, but I’ve never asked.  I hope they have been able to put those horrible memories behind them…that’s a terrible memory to have to associate with Easter for the rest of their lives.

Now…on to some lighter conversation… I am having a “blogiversary” giveaway this month.  I am having a twenty dollar cash drawing to be held on April 30th.  To be eligible for the drawing, just comment as usual, but at the end of your comment add “I’d like to win $20.00”.  Enter every time you comment during the entire month of April, just remember to add “I’d like to win $20.00” …comment as often as you like…Happy Easter everyone!