Heart attack steals ‘wonderful’ family man
Losing her husband to a heart attack taught Stella Bird Radle to treasure each day.
“A friend of mine called and wanted me to go shopping with her. I was gone most of the day, while my husband was at home babysitting the grandkids. About 1:30 when they got picked up, everything was fine. Then I called him at 3, and he didn’t answer the phone.
“When I got home about 4, I found him sitting in his recliner. I thought he was asleep. I said, ‘I’m home,’ but he never responded. His eyes were closed. He looked normal. I thought he was just teasing me. But he was gone. He had died of a heart attack.
“We had been married for 40 years. Jimmy was a wonderful family man. His kids and his grandkids came first in everything.
“One of the lessons I learned from what happened is that you need to live each day because you never know what tomorrow might bring. I had no earthly idea that I would come home that day almost 10 years ago to find that my husband was gone.”
— Stella Bird Radle
At age 70 Stella keeps busy with family and friends, and she goes on occasional dates. “I’m not going to settle for just anyone. He needs to be extra special. He needs to be somebody I can love and who can love me. But I haven’t found that person yet.”
(Note: Stella passed away on April 4, 2024.)
Related:
