Gosh! How lovely to hear from all of you. Thanks for starting the thread ChrisE.
Unfortunately my darling Helen died on May 12th, three weeks after we celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary at a super party given to us by our friends. Helen managed to make it and enjoyed the celebrations.
Shortly thereafter she, more-or-less, stopped eating and in May her food intake was virtually nil. She was not ill and never suffered pain or distress. At 94, she was just ready to go, peacefully and happily. I was her "toy boy" at 79 and looked after her here at home until she just quietly left. The attention from the local doctor, nurses and ancillary staff was superb, plus the fact that my closest friends are all retired nurses and just loved Helen. So, she was never without constant care. We had loads of time to remind each other of our love. Luckily our life together could be summed up in one word. Fun!
My low point was the night before the funeral when her body was brought into church. The day of the funeral was absolutely joyful. We had about 90 friends and relatives there. The singing was superb and everything went just wonderfully. Her earthly body was cremated and we will distribute her ashes in the garden she loved so much. We received a lovely rose plant called "Golden Wedding" and my friends and I will plant it in "Helen's Border" which we've just prepared.
Although I miss her greatly, I'm very happy and coping very well. I feel she's with me in spirit and would certainly hate to see me being miserable. So I am definitely not at all miserable, I've been luckier than most.
Bless
John