March 20th

March 20th is a difficult day for me.  It is the anniversary of the death of my first wife, Vera Ellen Whitten Springer, on March 20, 1991. 

We had celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day, 1991.  The wedding was at Central United Methodist Church in their new building on Briarhaven. 

The church is now known as Arborlawn UMC and it is where my family are members.  The former sanctuary, above, is now the Family Life Center. 

Vera suffered from Juvenile Diabetes and had a difficult life, but she faced each day with optimism and faith.  In 1986, she had a kidney translant after being on Dialysis for about a year.  The kidney failed after a few short weeks and she remained on Dialysis the rest of her life.

She graduated from Paschal High School and attended Texas Wesleyan College (now University).  Vera had a beautiful singing voice and sang in her church choir and Schola Cantorum of Texas.

On March 12, 1991, Vera celebrated her 39th birthday with family, cake and dinner out.  But that week, she began to fail and died on the 20th. 

She is buried with her parents in the Rose Hill Cemetery, Cleburne, Johnson County, Texas.

The original monument I placed on the grave.

The monument that Vera's family placed on the grave after the death of her sister,
replacing the original

Everyone who knew Vera misses her, especially on this day each year.

'Til Next Time!