On Saturday morning, I woke up to check the time and was met with sad news. Judy Taylor, who is well-known in southwest Missouri (where I'm from) as the First Lady of SBU, passed away at 4:30 a.m. Miss Judy was a lovely first lady with a Southern draw and a great sense of humor. But to me, she was like a second mother. The Taylor's move to Bolivar (my hometown) when I was about 8-years-old. Judy's husband, C. Pat Taylor, was the new President of the university my parents worked at when I met him at a faculty picnic. Since I was never a shy child, I introduced myself to Dr. Taylor and promptly asked him what the "C" in "C. Pat Taylor" stood for. My mom overheard me and nearly fainted due to my "rude" question, but Dr. Taylor chuckled and told me it stood for "Charles" and that Pat was actually short for Patmoore-- his mother's maiden name. From that day forward, Dr. Taylor and I had a very special bond.
The summer before I began college, I interviewed to work in the President's office as a student assistant. Luckily, Dr. Taylor's administrative assistant Sarah Nichols like me just as much as Dr. Taylor and I got the job. Throughout my college career, I worked in the President's office doing everything from answering phones, to typing speeches and one of my favorite memories was covertly sneaking past media with Dr. Taylor, when they staked out our campus after a violent incident involving some of our athletes.
I always loved the Taylor's and they reciprocated that love back, well. Dr. Taylor told me once, "Pam-- you are like a second daughter to me." Bear in mind, Dr. Taylor had two biological daughter-- so I always joked (to others) that I wondered which daughter of his I beat haha.
A few years ago, Judy began showing signs of degenerating health. She had some symptoms of Alzheimer's and some of Parkinson's Disease (in my professional, medical opinion). She went to numerous doctors and underwent so many tests, but it took over a year to diagnose what was wrong. The disease she had was rare and it was meaner than all get-out. It was so hard to see her decline each time I visited. It was hard on me to see, hard on her to live with and hardest on Dr. Taylor. He loved Judy with all of his heart and it showed. Watching her wither away was awful.
In December, Miss Judy's condition declined so much that Dr. Taylor told me that she was put into hospice care, inside their home. Her death was not a shock, in a way it was a relief. However, no matter how much better a person will feel in Heaven, it is hard to let go of their presence here on earth.
The photo below was taken at my MBA graduation party that my parents hosted at their home. Even though Miss Judy had received an honorary doctorate at the same commencement, they still came to the gathering that celebrated me-- because that is the type of person she was. Kind, humble, happy, selfless, thoughtful, delightful, generous and a true gift to everyone she encountered. Miss Judy, I love you and will miss you. I'm honored that I was able to know you during your short life-- until we meet again.
In this photo, Miss Judy is holding a toy doctor's kit that I bought
her to commemorate her honorary doctorate.
No, this post about death is not over.
Immediately after I read the email telling me that Miss Judy passed away, I saw a text from David asking me if I was awake yet. He usually does not send me texts like that, so I called him-- assuming something was wrong. As son as David answered the phone, his voice confirmed my suspicion. David then told me the heart-wrenching news that his friend, and fellow police officer, had been killed in a head-on collision while he was on duty that night.
To read the news story, copy and paste this link: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2016/03/26/des-moines-police-officers-killed-had-just-joined-force/82291266/
Puente and David served together in Ottumwa for a little over three years. Puente was a true character and definitely left his mark on the OPD. His death is almost a double blow. We lost a friend, but we also lost a police officer. I understand that his death was not due to his being an officer-- instead car accidents can kill anyone. However, it is a reality that police officers open themselves to risk all of the time-- even when the situation seems like an everyday occurrence.
This photo is Puente on his last day at the Ottumwa Police Department.
David is wearing a "mourning band" on his badge to honor Puente's memory.
As a LEO (law enforcement officer) wife, I can tell you that the realities of the job affect our marriage. No one truly knows if they will see their significant other again when they leave for work in the morning-- however the dangers of David's job cause that thought to be at the forefront of our minds anytime we say goodbye. We always say a "good" goodbye, kiss and tell each other that we love each other. This is a healthy practice in any marriage and I'm grateful that we do this-- we truly attempt to fully appreciate each other all-day, every day. I hope that this attitude towards each other never changes, despite our length of marriage and careers.
This weekend was a rough one emotionally, due to the deaths of Miss Judy and Puente. However, I have to use it as a reminder that life is short and I need to treat it that way through appreciating others, enjoying the moment, working to achieve my dreams and procrastinating on doing things that aren't fun-- like chores ;).
