In Honor and Memory

For most of my life, I have had the pleasure of spending our summer beach vacation with my very large family, and our dear friends, the Williams family. Carol Williams is my mother's very best friend going all the way back to 7th grade. I have always thought that theirs was the perfect example of friendship. Decades and distance haven't diminished their ability to talk, reminisce, confide, and laugh until they are gasping for breath and tears are running down their faces. Carol is smart, funny, beautiful, and ridiculously fun to be around. Who wouldn't want to be her best friend for a lifetime?

The Williams children are as amazing as their mother. Sarah is stunningly gorgeous, sweet, and elegantly stylish. I think the word "lovely" was created to describe a girl like Sarah, because she is truly lovely in every way. And Spencer, oh lord, I barely even have words to describe how wonderful that boy is. I swear, if you could order a son from a catalogue, he's the one you'd pick out. He is not just smart, handsome and athletic, he is good and kind to his very core. If any of my boys turned out half as good as Spencer, I'd feel like I'd really done something.

The foundation of the Williams family is Rodney. And he is, quite simply, one of the best men I have ever known. The word that comes to mind when I think of Rodney is "solid." He just exuded wisdom and strength and it always seemed like he could answer any question and solve any problem. Like the rest of his family, he was smart, good-looking and funny, but the thing that stood out most about Rodney was the sense of, "This is a man you can count on."

Rodney fought the good fight against cancer for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, even the strongest and most solid of men can't always overcome that monster. And now we are mourning the loss of this good, good man and our hearts are breaking for this family that we love so much. We are also mourning a beloved tradition that has lasted nearly 20 years, because it will never be the same without Rodney.

Despite the sadness, I am so grateful to have known Rodney. He was such a shining example of everything that a good man, a good husband, and a good father should be, and I feel honored to have had him as a part of one of the most special, treasured parts of my life. He will be missed, but what a legacy he leaves in the beautiful family that he and Carol created.

Three of my favorite guys in my favorite place