Fifty-eight years. That’s how long Natalie and I were married. And now she’s gone.

The picture above was taken on December 30, 1967 in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Before family, friends and God, Natalie and I had just pledged our lives to each other in Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church. We were on the way to our wedding reception in Providence.

It was and remains the happiest day of my life.

I was half way through law school at Georgetown. With midterm exams coming up, we had only two days for a honeymoon in Manhattan before returning to Washington.

Natalie worked as a psych nurse on a locked ward at the Washington Hospital Center. Her annual salary was $4800. We had a $90 per month apartment in Arlington, Virginia. As far as we were concerned, we had it all. And, looking back after all these years, we really did.

After I graduated in 1969, we moved to Philadelphia where I began practicing law. In 1972, I joined the U.S. Justice Department in Washington. After a brief stay at Main Justice, I was assigned to the Buffalo, New York Organized Crime Strike Force where I spent the next six years investigating and prosecuting mobsters and corrupt public officials.

We lived in a leafy suburb of Buffalo with wonderful neighbors who remain our friends to this day. While there Natalie gave birth to our three beautiful daughters.

In 1978 we returned to Philadelphia and made our lives there until February of this year. While I practiced law as a prosecutor, defense lawyer and civil litigator, Natalie – almost single-handedly – raised our daughters who have grown up to be remarkable and accomplished women with families of their own.

Once all of our girls were old enough, Natalie began working as a school nurse in a suburban school district. When she started that job, she expected to deal with scraped knees, cut fingers, and minor illnesses. But from day one she was called upon to deal with needy, abused, emotionally disturbed and damaged children who were the offspring of unwed mothers and broken and unstable families.

Through it all, for twenty years Natalie used her professional acumen, skill, intelligence and compassion to care for countless children.

Four years ago she began a series of hospitalizations followed by repeated rehabilitations. And that’s when her health and cognitive abilities began to deteriorate as she succumbed to the ravages of Lewy body dementia.

Through it all I was her round the clock caretaker until the last thirty days of her life when she had to be placed in a memory care facility. And then she died in February of this year surrounded by her daughters and loved ones.

I took her home to Rhode Island for burial. The funeral Mass was held at Our Mother of Consolation, the church where we were married.

I miss her terribly and am trying – so far unsuccessfully – to overcome my grief and sorrow at losing her.

When my time comes I will be buried beside her.

[Addendum – Many followers of this blog have inquired about the reason for my lack of output in recent years. I am publishing the foregoing article by way of explanation. I am hoping to return to writing in the very near future. So please stand by.]