2010
I worked and lived in San Francisco, and it was definitely my happy place! And then I got a call from my father. Kelly had passed away in her apartment on March 7, 2010. She was found drowned in her bathtub after three days of the water continuously running. The water had seeped down through the floor and into a downstairs neighbor’s apartment. Kelly’s body had been discovered by the landlord, who called the police. They, in turn, called my father, who then called me. I was crushed! I’d already tragically lost my sister Katie years earlier, in 1996, due to a storm she was driving in. I was told by my father that a tree branch came loose and fell on her car while driving through a hellacious storm, killing her instantly. Her nine-year-old daughter Gina, was in the passenger’s seat, traumatized.
After receiving the news about Kelly in March 2010, I immediately flew to Minnesota and spent the night in Minneapolis. The next day, I was shaking so badly, I had to go to a beauty salon and pay to have my hair and makeup done for the memorial service in St. Cloud. My credit card wasn’t being accepted at the car rental agency, and the other car rental agencies were out of cars. So I ended up paying cash for a limo driver to drive me to St. Cloud and wait for me. It was the only way I was going to make it on time.
During the memorial service, Dana stood at the back and sobbed in her fiancé Bob’s arms. I sat next to Kristine, who was next to Marie. We were all so devastated! My father, sisterin-law Didi, my niece Donna, my brother Peter and his wife Rebecca, as well as relatives from Dana’s dad’s side of the family and co-workers from the post office where Kelly had been working, were there. I didn’t get a chance to meet anyone from Errol’s side of the family. Dana’s dad was incarcerated in Arizona on several charges. Honestly, I didn’t want to see him anyway, but would have liked to have had him there for Dana’s sake.
After the memorial service, I headed back to my hotel where I spent another night. The next day, I took a shuttle to my hotel in Duluth that had an indoor pool, an indoor hot tub, and a pool on the roof. Breakfast was included, and for lunch and dinner, we ate out. Marie, Kristine and I went swimming on the roof and used the hot tub, while Dana waited for us in the room.
Dana was bereft, and I spent as much time with her as possible while I was there. Dana told me that Kelly was in rehab when she died, but that night, she left the rehab facility early and went home. According to Dana, Kelly kept calling her and saying, “Dana, I need you!” but Kelly was drunk, and Dana and Bob were in recovery, plus it was so painful for Dana. Kelly had also been in some legal trouble for writing bad checks and was charged with a felony, which led to her relapse. My father was trying to help her by starting a letter campaign rather than paying off her debt. He had been in touch with the St. Cloud Police Department, and I believe that’s how they knew who to call.
After I returned to San Francisco, I submitted another request for time off, this time, for two weeks. When I returned to Duluth, I barely got to see Dana. She was no longer sober, and was trying to hide it from me. I stayed at the Holiday Inn where they had a nice indoor pool and hot tub, but we never used any of their facilities. I flew out of Duluth to Orlando, Florida so that I could tour Big Cat Rescue in Tampa. I bought them all souvenirs, and after just two nights of being gone, I flew back to Duluth. Dana was MIA, and I had to take a bus from the airport to the hotel. It wasn’t a bad ride at all, and I understood that Dana no longer lived in Duluth. She and Bob were living in Sawyer, Minnesota now. Marie and Kristine resided with their father in Duluth. Kelly was in St. Cloud, and wanted to quit her job and move in with them. Dana said no. Just one more reason for her to feel guilty.
After the two weeks were up, I returned to San Francisco and maintained constant contact with Dana through Facebook. My job was ending after seven years because of a merger, and I had asked the Board Chair, Barry Olson, to lay me off early, which he did. The CEO, who is now my former spouse, James Roberts, and I began seeing each other again, and eventually moved in together in Martinez with my three cats. I eventually adopted three rabbits that I absolutely adored!
