A Tribute to a Special Lady

It was through the internet that I first met my friend Joy, whom I corresponded with for four years. We chatted through our e mails about our families ,our  likes and dislikes, our hobbies and much more.

The main interest we shared was of the Native Americans and this is how I first found my friend Joy who had contacted me about this very same subject, I had been searching for some information. You see Joy was teaching a class of young children in Colorado where she lived, their background history of The North American Indians. I was thrilled about this because Joy had many Native friends whom she spoke of and said that she would be delighted to introduce them to me should I ever travel to Colorado where Joy had invited us to visit her.

 

During the time my partner John and I began to save our money towards making this trip Joy e mailed me to say that she wanted to visit Crete first. So that year being 2012 she arrived in Crete to stay with us for two weeks.Of course this was our very first meeting and it was as if we had known each other all of our lives.

We took her to see  some of the many archaeological sites but  Akrotiri  was the one she most wanted to see. Akrotiri is the Minoan Bronze Age settlement on the volcanic Island of Santorini which was destroyed in the Theran eruption about l627 BC, and buried in volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of fine frescoes and many objects and works of art. Joy and I spent the whole day there and was awestruck by the immensity of the actual site, so much had been uncovered revealing many houses where the Minoans had lived .All the frescoes and treasures that were discovered we went to see at the Heraklion Museum.   My previous post about this is called  ” A DAY TO REMEMBER”

Joy on the left and myself at Akrotiri .

John and I also took Joy to see the Island of Spinalonga, once a leper colony which I am sure you have read on another of my posts.  We spent evenings out wining and dining where Joy enjoyed seeing the Cretan way of lifer and their food.

The time was drawing near for her return home which she was looking forward to  but at the same time was sad at leaving us not knowing when we would meet again, but I promised we would visit her in Colorado sometime soon, I thought maybe the following year.

Joy emailed me the next day to say that she had a good journey home but was very tired. Just two weeks later I learned that she had been diagnosed as having lung cancer and had not long to live. I was shocked because she was so lively and full of energy while here with us I could not believe it. Poor Joy suffered for seven months before she passed away. Although we only knew Joy for a short while I feel privileged to have known my friend and so glad that we had spent those precious times together.

JOYS OBITUARY