I first met my wife when I joined a community chorus in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her husband, Norman Russell Bell was the conductor and he was able to teach us all how to produce a sound that no one expected from an amateur group such as ours. After rehearsals, Norman, Doris and I would go out for dinner to discuss music and life in general. I came to look forward to these weekly outings and soon became a frequent visitor at their home. Norman and I became very good friends and I considered him my mentor. He took me on as a challenge to see if he could bring me out of my shyness and I think, in the end, he was successful.
Doris and I became close friends. I was impressed by her sense of style and her amazing organizational ability...Norman could invite 25 home for dinner without notice and she was able to put a full blown dinner on the table in a very short time,while making everyone feel very welcome.
One evening, while leaving the chorus rehearsal, she and I were walking out of the school building where we held the rehearsals. She had her arms full of rehearsal music and was just ahead of me, when a gust of wind blew the heavy metal door back on her hand, crushing it. We went to the hospital, but there was little that could be done. For weeks, she suffered with the pain, which morphine did not seem to touch. I was so impressed by her strength and spirit in enduring the pain day in and day out...I was to see this same spirit several times again during our life together. Finally, the surgeons determed to amputate her hand. The night before the surgery, I stayed with the children while Norman went to the hospital with Doris. At the last minute before the surgery was scheduled, the surgeon decided that with her permission, he would give the hand another chance to heal. She agreed and eventually through grit and determination, she endured the pain and the hand did heal. I knew then that she was a very remarkable women.
I miss her so much, but I can't be greedy. Not very many men can say they enjoyed the love of their life for 50 years.