This is the saddest trip report I have ever written:

I lost my life's companion and soul-mate of 45 1/4 years today, April 11, 2005!

I reported Betty's fall of last Thursday.  She was sore and had a harder than usual time walking, so we delayed our stay at the River's Edge RV Park near Pensacola a couple of extra days to let her try and heal a little.  Her condition didn't really change that much, so we decided to head for home in an expedited manner.

Yesterday, Sunday, 4/10 we left River's Edge in Florida, passed through the panhandles of Alabama and Mississippi, and through Louisiana, and into Texas.  That was a 5 state day of 475 miles.  During the course of the drive, Betty slept a lot, but when she talked to me, she did not make much sense!  After much objection, I told her she WAS going to a hospital, and I located one in Orange, TX, about 4 miles from where we were (a Flying J, of course).  It took about 9 hours to get her through the cycle of Emergency Room admittance, several sessions with the doctor, and admittance to the hospital proper.  I could see her actions deteriorating as the evening wore on.  She went from clear but illogical statements, to hesitations and repeating, to non-real words. 

After I moved the motorhome from Flying J to the hospital parking lot at about 6 AM, I showered and changed and had something to eat.  I figured that was more important than the 1 hour nap I could have gotten and still make the recommended return time of 7:30.  Her doctor, Dr. Gordon, makes rounds at various times, and that was the earliest that she would show up.

Several hours later I talked to her associate, Dr. Packard, who was on duty today.  He said the tests so far showed Betty was severely dehydrated, and that her kidneys were shutting down.  This is the first indication we have ever had about kidney problems.  He was moving her to ICU and was going to put her on a ventilator (breathing machine), as her breathing had become rapid and shallow.  As they were preparing the ventilator, Betty's condition deteriorated even more rapidly.  They tried to recuperate her with CPR with no success.  During this effort they noticed that her lungs were very stiff.  The doctor wondered how she had the strength to breath.

The official cause-of-death is being listed as "Respiratory Failure", but the dehydration and the kidney failure all closed in at the same time and it was just too much for Betty's frail body to handle.  The doctor does not think that the fall had anything to do with her decline, but more likely that the start of the decline may have triggered the fall. 

I plan to have her cremated here in Texas and bring her ashes back to Prescott with me.  I am thinking possibly of having a small memorial service in Prescott and another, larger one in Escondido, with the majority of the family attending that one.  We still have far more friends in Escondido than we have developed in Prescott yet.

Our son David is flying in tomorrow to spend the time it takes to finish her arrangements here, and to accompany me back home with the motorhome.  I am truly pleased that he forced me to allow him to do this over my objections!

I will certainly let you all know what arrangements we make for the service(s), but they will not occur particularly soon.

Betty was a real trooper, overcoming enormous obstacles!  I will truly miss her, as I am sure will all who knew her!