A Conservative View

KISSING MY ANGEL GOODBYE

A TRUE LOVE STORY

Norma Maxey Brewer was my second wife after a teenage marriage that did not succeed for me. I first met her when she was thirteen. She was the daughter of my boss and a typical teenager.

When she graduated from high school at eighteen, my first wife and I took her and her best friend, Paula, to a Fats Domino and Little Richard concert at the Sportatorium in Dallas TX. Har dad, W. C. Maxey was transferred to another plant and I did not see Norma or her dad for some three years.

My desire to succeed took long hours at my work and my first wife was raising three children, Elizabeth, Brenda and Mark alone. A new assignment that lasted four months in Montreal Canada caused a divorce. Until my Angel died this was the saddest part of my entire 90 years of life.

After a few months of misery and reduction in statute and pay, Mr. Maxey invited me to come visit and have dinner.  I was surprised that Norma was there as she had won a very big beauty contest. Over the next few months I proposed, she accepted and we were married. My work improved and I was promoted. After getting my Masters Degree, I was offered an executive position as Director of Quality at Halliburton-Otis Engineering.  

My Angle and I have four fine and successful children, Laurie, David, Lisa and Leah. My work took me worldwide and my Angel raised these children  that were four years and four months apart in age. After five years, I went into business for myself and over the next eleven years I started eight companies in four countries and one partnership. In addition, my Angel not only helped with the business operations, she traveled with me to forty seven States and fifteen Countries. One of those companies, Quality Systems Registrar, is still actively in business after thirty years. I was one the founders, Norma and I are major shareholders, our daughter, Laurie is Chairman of the Board and Finance operations. Our son, David is a member of the Board of Directors.

My Angel and I moved to our dream home we had built on Toledo Bend Lake in deep East Texas on the Louisiana border. This happened on Christmas day 1991. Sadly, she stopped painting. She won several awards for her work, including a Blue Ribbon and other Ribbons at the State Fair of Texas and awards in other competitions. I joined her in retirement January 1, 1994 and our love for each other grew stronger. Having someone to grow old with is a must if you desire to be happy in your golden years. My biggest fear, if God allows me some more time to live, is having to live without my Angel, partner and love of my life.

We had started taking our entire family to the beach in 1990 and continued for 19 years. After she began losing her memory we stopped going, but some of the kids and grandkids still go. Our objective was to keep our family close together and it worked. Our family is rock solid and they are working hard to help me, but no one will ever replace my Angel.

These last three years have been hell but I even surprised myself. We have not traveled and our appointed son, Tim Trojanowski, has been our strength to be able to stay in our dream home. We had vowed to not ever allow either of us to die in a nursing home. Tim and my family have promised me they will make sure that I will never die in one.

It is hard to understand how God selects anyone to suffer this horrible disease but he called her home on January 23, 2021. By her last day, she had been on Morphine for three days and had not been able to swallow for two. I went back to my half bed, which was beside her hospital bed, and laid down and held her hand and went to sleep. I awoke about 2:30 and my daughter, Leah and granddaughter, Alyssa were in tears. I closed her eyes, kissed her for the last time and started crying.  That crying may never stop inside me.

She will never be forgotten and I am certain if there is a flower garden in heaven, she will be pulling weeds and smiling. When God calls me home, I hope I will get another hug and kiss with my Angel.

Clyde Brewer