It is with a heavy heart that feels like a stone that I am sharing that my husband, my lover, my best friend has left this world as we know it and is climbing the stairway to heaven.

Rich Hale woke up on Saturday, January 17^th telling me he had a sore throat.  By evening he experienced extreme weakness in his legs.  The next morning as he appeared to be getting sicker I took him to the ER where he was admitted with COVID.

The COVID in hours turned into Bronchial Pneumonia, and a week ago today, Monday, January 19^th he suffered a cardiac arrest and never recovered.

Today at 2:45 pm he took his last breath alone.

Alex and I went up to the hospital to see him one last time in the flesh, but he already was transitioning and didn’t really look like my husband of 42 years.

I am in shock and aware of it.  I am doing what I can to stay focused on what is necessary and what is not, and to allow those who want to help me along the way step in.

We will have a celebration of his Rich’s life in the Spring, we need time to process and begin the healing as this was sudden, unexpected, and extremely hard for Alex, Steve, and I.

Please hug the ones you love and don’t keep your love a secret – We Never Did!