Clinton Township Newsletter

2 a p r i l 2 0 2 0 W W W . C L I N T O N T W P N E W S L E T T E R . C O M – Julie Fl�nn SHADES | MOTORIZED SHADES | BLINDS | DRAPES | PLANTATION SHUTTERS You Deserve Them! 908.236.2688 14 Lebanon Plaza n WindowExpressionsNJ.com As you can imagine, I'm feeling pretty sad right now over the loss of my great friend, Ruth Keesing. Ruth often told me that she felt as if I was a second daughter to her, and to me she was like another mother. I knew that there was a good possibility that I would outlive her, considering the difference in our ages. However, I was hoping that, given her mental sharpness and seemingly physical well-being, she would live to see 100, at least. I wished the same for her late husband Fred, with whom I worked during the last year of his life (at age 97). It turns out that you can't just hope that people live to 100 and it will magically happen – my natural optimism has taken a hit. There's so much I can say about Ruth but, honestly, I'm not really feeling up to it yet. Mourning the loss of a loved one is not great for creativity. I do know that she was ready to go and, like her family, I am reassured that she is out of pain and now at peace. When leaving for her Whipple surgery in 2019 – a complex surgery with a high risk of death for the elderly – she said to me, "Well, I hope I make it but if I don't, it's okay." During the last year she endured pancreatic cancer, major surgery, six months of chemo, forehead flap surgery, and lung cancer. I now understand what it means to "battle" cancer. In one of our last conversations, after making sure that I would run the above column (ever efficient, she gave it to me a year ago), Ruth asked me, "What will you do after I'm gone?" I had no answer for that, knowing that no one could ever fill her shoes. (Like the title of her booklet, What do I do now, indeed?) She went on, "I mean, with my column space." "I do have over ten years' worth of your writing on file," I answered, "I could tell the readers that we will run your articles from our archives for another year." "Yes, do that," she replied. "but make sure you update them for accuracy." We know that Ruth would have something wickedly funny to say about the COVID-19 pandemic upstaging her memorial service – but we can only guess what that might be. God Bless Ruth – I will miss her so much. I know that wherever she is now, she has the place running smoothly and totally entertained. Questions About Real Estate? the Right Realtor Really Makes the Difference! Call Sherry, Your Clinton Township Specialist & Neighbor. Shirley (Sherry) Havens Sales Associate cell: 908.507.4927 office: 908.735.8080 shirleyhavens@gmail.com www.SherryHavens.com If you're reading this column, it's because my "Expiration Date" has come and gone. Perhaps I'm in that big Newsletter office in the sky. However, given my religious persuasions, that is highly unlikely. At any rate, I've departed this earth for sure. I'll miss my precious family, my friends and my coworkers at HMC. I'll miss sitting on the porch enjoying the greening of Hunterdon County. I'll miss Edy's Chocolate Chip Mint ice cream. I'll certainly miss writing a monthly column for the CTNL and I hope you will miss reading it. Julie, bless her heart, will carry on in a way that both Fred and I would be proud. There's a heck of a lot I will miss. But living for too many months feeling lousy is no way to exist. And I've been ready (more than ready) to put an end to the sickness, pain and misery. I welcomed the end of all of that bad stuff. Death couldn't be as bad as my recent life has been. Life goes on and, although I've tried my best to convince everyone that I am indispensable, it's probably not so. I was hoping to live long enough to see a new President elected, but it wasn't meant to be. I intend to discuss this with St. Peter. So, remember that you may think you're telling life where to go, but it goes where it wants to. Farewell, loyal readers. It's been a blast! Locally Owned and Operated by Phil & Diane Koury 185 Center St., Clinton | 908.735.4499

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