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Five years ago, my family said goodbye to a one-of-a-kind woman. Her name was Bonnie.
Bonnie was my Grandpa's sister, yet so close to me and my family, you'd think she was our sister. Bonnie was married to Burt Mook in 1941. The couple lived in Nebraska for several years, before making their permanent home in Wichita, where they lived together for several decades. Burt worked in the aviation industry. As far as my family was concerned, Bonnie's job was to cook/bake the best meals in the entire world. I swear her special ingredient was love. I grew up about three hours straight north of Wichita, in Southeast Nebraska. Starting from when I was an infant, my parents would travel Hwy 81 south to Wichita several times a year. (My sister was added to the trips less than two years after me, when she entered the world.) I still remember when we were old enough to figure out where to turn off the "highway". My sister's third grade class number was 3B, and coincidentally, so was our exit. We then drove several blocks, across the railroad tracks, until we saw the "bunk-bed" store (used furniture store that for some reason always had a bunk-bed outside), which is where we turned every time. My family would head to Wichita for a visit right before school, and go school shopping in the "big city". Mom and Dad would buy tickets to a concert in Wichita, just so we had another excuse to spend several days with Burt and Bonnie. Oh, and they were also conveniently there to babysit us too. :) Christmas break, weather permitting, was another excuse for our family to head to Wichita. I remember one year, my sister and I thought we needed to bring practically our entire rooms with us, so we each filled sacks that were comparable to 13 gallon trash bags with "stuff to do"...for a three-day stay. I think we hauled everything out of the bags to show Burt and Bonnie, and that was probably it. Not only did we make the trip south several times a year, but Burt and Bonnie headed up north to visit us as well. Lest I not forget the weekly phone calls my Mom made on Sunday nights to the 316 area code, just to check-in. She made those calls for the past 20 years or so, and if the rest of us were home, we'd get on the phone, sharing out latest news as well. Needless to say, Burt and Bonnie were my family's rock. They were our best friends, our confidants, our life. Five years ago, Bonnie passed away unexpectedly. Since that day, my family hasn't been the same. I still cry off and on, just thinking about her. When I was hired to work at KAKE, the station they always watched when we'd come visit, I was thrilled. I would finally be able to live in their "town". My only regret, I couldn't move to Wichita four years earlier, so Bonnie could watch me on tv. In the past year, I don't think Burt ever changed the channel off 10. He didn't want to miss seeing my latest report. He told the minister, the neighbors, the postman, probably the dog across the street that I was on KAKE. Being in the same town as him, I was able to visit him weekly, without driving three hours. When I rescued Baylee from the Kansas Humane Society, I introduced her to Burt. The two became instant pals. I will never forget Baylee jumping into Burt's lap in the recliner, and attempting to lick him. He would say several times in a row, "Get that tongue back in your mouth," and then chuckle and giggle like a child. She brought out a spirit in him my family hadn't seen in quite a while. Baylee wasn't the only loved one Burt met when I moved to Wichita. After meeting the love of my life, I introduced him to Burt. Not only did Burt approve, he adored my fiance as well. Burt was especially happy to see that my sister and I had both found someone to share our lives with, much like he did with Bonnie. Friday, at the young age of 94, Burt passed away. He and Bonnie would have been married 70 years this year...a day my fiance and I plan to marry one another next year. Burt has now been re-united with the love of his life, something he has looked forward to for the past five years. Knowing him, I'm sure he's filling Bonnie in on the past five years, especially the last year he spent with me and my new family. The funny part, I know Bonnie's been watching over us, so just like he's done his whole life, Burt's probably repeating himself, and telling Bonnie stories she already knows. It may be the end of an "era" as my sister has referred to it, but for the two of them, it's now the beginning of a new life together in Heaven. Hugs and Kisses, Burt and Bonnie. Until we meet again... |
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