Remembering our time together
August 31, 2019
by Jay Clemons
My Dearest Laurie,
It has been one year ago as of 9:35 am that you left this earth for a better place. You are now without pain, can walk and do the things you wanted to do. You can visit your friends and relatives that have gone before and after you, like your brother Jerry, your mom and dad Alice and Harry, your favorite aunt Marie, Marv and Louise, and all of your uncles, aunts, cousins and family friends you knew over the years.
I miss you every day and more. Our first date was on Nov. 7, 1980 in Newport, RI. We ate at the Canfield House at the beginning of Cliff Walk. Spent the weekend driving around Newport with you as the tour guide showing me all of the places you partied at with you classmates. You never let me forget the date, calling it our “Anniversary” every year by asking me “Do you remember what day this is?”
We did a lot together over the 35 years, especially the trips to faraway places like Paris in 1999 when I went to the Paris Air Show for work. We spent two weeks together there and have a lot of great memories – going to the Louvre to see Mona and Venus - the two ladies of the house. Seeing Monet’s home and gardens, Sacré Coeur and having one beer, in a heavy glass 32 oz stein. Seeing Notre Dame and finding the Holocaust Museum behind it in a stone cave by accident. And just before we left, taking a trip to Normandy to see the beach and the graves of the brave men who gave their lives to free Europe.
In 1988 we went to Australia and stayed with Marv and Louise in Cronulla, outside of Sydney. Saw a lot of the East Coast of Australia from Brisbane to Canberra. We got to hold a Koala Bear at a zoo and went to the World Expo in Brisbane (Australia’s 200th Birthday), walked on top of the capital building, which was partially built underground with a grass roof in Canberra. Visited the Sydney Opera House, ate the best Chinese food ever and had dinner at Tony Roma’s across the bay from the Opera House. We left Australia @ 5:30 pm on 8-8-88 and arrived in Honolulu @ 5:30 am the same day by crossing the International Dateline. Very few people can say that they lived that day twice. When we got back to CT, we found out you were pregnant with Jason after 5 years of trying (I think it was the campout we did on the 4th of July weekend).
We had many trips in the US with and without our camper. Going to the Big E every fall, to the Annalee Gift Shop in NH, driving up Mt Washington, and traveling to Florida to visit your parents in February. For our 20th Anniversary I purchased tickets for our first cruise. A 12 day trip in the Pacific with 5 days visiting the islands of Hawaii, stopped at Christmas Island on Easter Sunday, then on to Morea, Bora Bora, and Tahiti. We had a ball.
Jason left Prime and is now driving for Taylor Trucking and comes home once a month instead of every two to three months. We have a good time together going to Disney every so often and working on cleaning the house. We just went to Hollywood Studios last week for a preview of the new Star Wars exhibit and drank Blue Milk with Rum and Green Milk with Tequila, went on the new Smugglers Run ride and looked for new pins to add to your collection. Derek is now living in Dallas and working for the same company from his home, Trish and Ed are still here in St Lucie.
I know this is getting a little long, but I really miss you. Every time I think about something we did together I get a tear in my eye. And this letter has been hard to write. I just wanted to say these things as a remembrance of our life together, the friends we know and new friends we made, and the good times we had.
Thank you for our wonderful time together for 35 years as a husband and wife and parents of our son Jason, who turned out to be a smart, thoughtful and considerate son we could be proud of.
Your loving husband Jay…ILY
It has been one year ago as of 9:35 am that you left this earth for a better place. You are now without pain, can walk and do the things you wanted to do. You can visit your friends and relatives that have gone before and after you, like your brother Jerry, your mom and dad Alice and Harry, your favorite aunt Marie, Marv and Louise, and all of your uncles, aunts, cousins and family friends you knew over the years.
I miss you every day and more. Our first date was on Nov. 7, 1980 in Newport, RI. We ate at the Canfield House at the beginning of Cliff Walk. Spent the weekend driving around Newport with you as the tour guide showing me all of the places you partied at with you classmates. You never let me forget the date, calling it our “Anniversary” every year by asking me “Do you remember what day this is?”
We did a lot together over the 35 years, especially the trips to faraway places like Paris in 1999 when I went to the Paris Air Show for work. We spent two weeks together there and have a lot of great memories – going to the Louvre to see Mona and Venus - the two ladies of the house. Seeing Monet’s home and gardens, Sacré Coeur and having one beer, in a heavy glass 32 oz stein. Seeing Notre Dame and finding the Holocaust Museum behind it in a stone cave by accident. And just before we left, taking a trip to Normandy to see the beach and the graves of the brave men who gave their lives to free Europe.
In 1988 we went to Australia and stayed with Marv and Louise in Cronulla, outside of Sydney. Saw a lot of the East Coast of Australia from Brisbane to Canberra. We got to hold a Koala Bear at a zoo and went to the World Expo in Brisbane (Australia’s 200th Birthday), walked on top of the capital building, which was partially built underground with a grass roof in Canberra. Visited the Sydney Opera House, ate the best Chinese food ever and had dinner at Tony Roma’s across the bay from the Opera House. We left Australia @ 5:30 pm on 8-8-88 and arrived in Honolulu @ 5:30 am the same day by crossing the International Dateline. Very few people can say that they lived that day twice. When we got back to CT, we found out you were pregnant with Jason after 5 years of trying (I think it was the campout we did on the 4th of July weekend).
We had many trips in the US with and without our camper. Going to the Big E every fall, to the Annalee Gift Shop in NH, driving up Mt Washington, and traveling to Florida to visit your parents in February. For our 20th Anniversary I purchased tickets for our first cruise. A 12 day trip in the Pacific with 5 days visiting the islands of Hawaii, stopped at Christmas Island on Easter Sunday, then on to Morea, Bora Bora, and Tahiti. We had a ball.
Jason left Prime and is now driving for Taylor Trucking and comes home once a month instead of every two to three months. We have a good time together going to Disney every so often and working on cleaning the house. We just went to Hollywood Studios last week for a preview of the new Star Wars exhibit and drank Blue Milk with Rum and Green Milk with Tequila, went on the new Smugglers Run ride and looked for new pins to add to your collection. Derek is now living in Dallas and working for the same company from his home, Trish and Ed are still here in St Lucie.
I know this is getting a little long, but I really miss you. Every time I think about something we did together I get a tear in my eye. And this letter has been hard to write. I just wanted to say these things as a remembrance of our life together, the friends we know and new friends we made, and the good times we had.
Thank you for our wonderful time together for 35 years as a husband and wife and parents of our son Jason, who turned out to be a smart, thoughtful and considerate son we could be proud of.
Your loving husband Jay…ILY
