In Memory of

As Tim’s mom, I have so many wonderful memories of him that would fill this website, but I want to share one example of how much Tim loved other people and just how much he gave of himself to others.

I remember Tim getting off the plane in Ontario, California after flying cross-country from his home in Florida to teach Jim (my second husband) to read. Jim had suffered from a series of small strokes in the mid-1990s and had been left unable to read. Over the next several weeks, rather than returning to his own home between work trips, Tim flew to California from wherever he had been working to help Jim advance his reading skills. Tim felt it was so important for Jim to be able to read again that he took it on as his own personal project.

After dropping his bags at our house, Tim went straightaway to the Little Red Schoolhouse to buy several sets of flashcards to use with Jim. He bought the alphabet, numbers, and basic elementary English words. Then Tim patiently, as you might with a child first learning to read, and lovingly, spent hours and hours helping Jim to first memorize the 26 letters of the alphabet, and then numbers.

Jim would practice and Tim would drill. Over and over and over and over, I would hear Jim practicing, and Tim coaching and helping Jim. Tim’s patience was extraordinary.

By Tim’s third visit, Jim had progressed and memorized the alphabet, numbers, and many basic English words, so it was time to advance to more difficult English words like “cough” and “laugh.”

I can still hear Tim explaining to Jim that “gh” phonetically sounded like “ff,” and Jim did well with these, until he came across the word “eight.” Jim and Tim were stumped. They started laughing and giggling because “eight” doesn’t sound like “eifft.”  They laughed because they realized English has so many rules that their project wasn’t as simple as they thought. But press on they did, and what a wonderful gift Tim gave to Jim.

This loving act of kindness from my dear Tim is just one of so many, and so much that he gave to others.  Tim was truly a giver. He loved all people, he loved to help others, and he especially loved to bring smiles to their faces.