Today, I got a nasty shock. I got a call from my friend May Jackson's son-in-law Mike (last name unknown) letting me know May had passed away last night. I had no idea she was doing that badly. I learned just maybe less than a month ago that she'd been put in a nursing home because she was having such a rough time with needless worry and other things. I hoped when I got word of that she would pull out of it and, we could resume our chats as well as continuing to exchange letters. It was not to be.
I first met May when I moved into an apartment complex in San Angelo, Texas. I was a Tech Sergeant in the Air Force at the time and had just been stationed at the air base close by. I forget how we first met but, I remember her and her apartment well. May would serve cheap champagne and was a delight to be around. We had similar interests. Both of us liked culture, travel and art. I remember well the artistic rug she had hanging on one of her apartment walls. It consisted of bright solid swathes of color one after another. May asked me how much I thought it cost. I guess I didn't know art prices that well because I didn't come close to guessing the actual price. The RUG cost over $4,500 to my total shock!
Later, I got assigned to other air bases and kept in touch by phone and letter. One time while home for Christmas, I called her and reminded her that I was going to come down there and see her again (a promise I later kept). She asked me what I was doing in April. I said nothing. She told me about a special graduation trip that she, her daughter Jan and her grand-daughter Dallas (who was graduating from college - Georgetown possibly) were doing to Egypt. May particularly liked the country. I'd never visited it. She said lets meet there. Since I was stationed in Bahrain at the time, it wouldn't have been a huge hassle to fly over there. I told her I'd do my best to make it happen. I managed to get an Egyptian visa at the Egyptian embassy in Bahrain, made hotel reservations at the MENA House Oberoi Hotel (where her tour group was staying), arranged to have a driver pick me up at the airport and take me to the hotel (and later back to the airport) and in April I flew to Cairo.
I arrived first and waited for her to show up which she did I think an hour or 2 later. May some how talked the tour group leader into letting me join her tour for the next 2 days. It ended up being a lot of fun. Sadly, it was the only time we got to travel together. Because of May, I found out I liked Egypt and later, I did an Avalon Waterways tour where I saw the rest that I didn't get to do with her tour. I won't ever forget that trip with her, her daughter and grand-daughter.
I kept in touch with May and, I hoped to make it down to San Angelo again some time to see her. Sadly, it won't happen. I can't make it to her funeral with my future travel plans which are already set. Plus, I suspect it'll be a very sad family affair. I know they'll miss her dearly. May was a wonderful lady with a lot of character and a lot of spunk. May she know peace.
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