No More Time

Our aunt, Linda Cole, was the middle child of my husband Bob’s grandparents, Grandma and Grandpa Knox. Early in their marriage, she and her husband, Bobby, moved to Kennebec, South Dakota, where they raised their two children, Sheila Gregory and Patrick Cole. In Kennebec, Linda and Bobby owned a hotel, and when visitors came, they always had plenty of room for everyone to stay. My husband, Bob, and I took our girls, Corrie Petersen and Amy Royce, to visit them once a year. It was always a nice trip for us, and the girls got to see family too. Running a hotel didn’t leave much time for travel, so visits from family were often the only chance they had to catch up with the rest of us. Linda’s sister, Joann Schulenberg, and her husband, Walt, who are my in-laws, went often as well. We always visited in the summer, which meant it was usually very hot in Kennebec. Still, the visits were so much fun, and I have always been glad we went.

After a fire destroyed most of the hotel, the family relocated to Winnemucca, Nevada, where Linda and Bobby both found jobs in the casinos. They enjoyed working there and liked to gamble a bit on their days off, though it wasn’t something they did often. They appreciated the warm weather and mild winters, as well as their peaceful home in the country. The quiet was a welcome change from the constant noise of the casinos.

My in-laws visited them periodically in their travels as snowbirds, and the sisters got to know each other again. For so many years they had lived so far away from each other, that they were more like acquaintances than sisters sometimes. The girls’ younger sister, Margee lives here in Casper. She and Linda talked on the telephone often, and they were very close. It was hard on the sisters to be so far away from Linda, but as time goes on, you get used to things. People moving away from the town they grew up in, is commonplace these days.

In May 2014, Linda lost her husband, Bobby, and then she passed away in September 2016. Years had gone by since her sisters last saw her, which made her passing even more heartbreaking. They always felt like there would be more time, but when it was gone, all that remained was the sadness of her absence. Today would have been Linda’s 79th birthday. Happy birthday in Heaven, Linda. We love and miss you very much.