"Mr. & Mrs. Roberts - hand in hand"
- Sep 1, 2023
- 2 min read
We had the honor and privilege of speaking with Edgar Jr. and his lovely wife, Caryl while they were staying at our Ida Emmerson Hospice House. These two high school sweethearts have been on a lifetime of journeys together, including their very last chapter.
Caryl and Edgar Jr. met back in 1958 in Vista, California. Caryl had just turned 16 and Edgar Jr., 17. Edgar shared with us his memory of the first time he held Caryl’s hand. It was at the movie theater in 1958 and he said his arm got so sore but he was not going to let go of her hand! And as we spoke with them that day, 65 years later, they were still holding hands.
Caryl held out on marriage for several years saying Edgar had some “growing up to do”. So, he enlisted in the Army, spending three years in Europe. In 1967, they were married and a year later had their first child, Edgar, III. Shortly after baby Edgar’s arrival, they adopted another little boy, Chris. They dearly loved their kids through all the challenges that can come with parenthood. They bought their first home and lived there together happily for 50 years, Edgar working for a telephone company and Caryl as a stay at home mom.
A year and a half ago, they sold their home and moved to Loleta to be closer to Edgar, III and his wife, as they were growing older and showing some early signs of decline. Caryl came onto Hospice service in January after rapid, unplanned weight loss and suspected recurrence of cancer. Edgar, was enrolled onto Hospice service in July, due to his advancing heart disease. Two weeks ago, their son and daughter-in-law expressed the need for a respite break- they were exhausted and wanting time to reconnect. We were able to arrange for both Caryl and Edgar to come to the Ida Emmerson Hospice House that next day.
Generally, our rooms at the Hospice House are private, however Simone, one of our Hospice House nurses had the wonderful idea of putting two hospital beds into one room and opening up the empty room into a “day room” for the couple. They awoke each morning to breakfast and then would be moved into their day room to watch their favorite TV programs together. After dinner they would go back to what Edgar called their honeymoon suite and tucked each other into bed for the night.
Edgar and Caryl truly loved their stay at the Hospice House, sharing that they were grateful for the beautiful view of redwood trees and the amazing staff that cared for them while their son and daughter-in-law got a little break. Sweetly, Edgar couldn’t wait to have their love story told and shared with our community.
Cheers to you, Edgar and Caryl and to your life time of loving each other! We’re honored to walk alongside you through this chapter of your lives!
