October 24th, 2013

John Merryman, III…10/24/46-8/31/13, Husband, Father, Friend…Always…The Way We Were

Today I celebrate John’s life.  My husband, John, passed away peacefully on August 31st.  All the emotions are there; sadness, anger, and even relief for him.

John’s birthday was October 24th.  This date is also our anniversay.  I did not want him to forget it.  He also would be mortified to be featured on my blog.  This post is for me.  He was private, conservative in his dressing and views, and had a very dry sense of humor.

John and I met in Puerto Rico in 1973 and nobody thought we would last.  They would say “Gloria is dating a gringo”.  No kidding, they never thought it would.  The funny part is that we did and only a few that married at the time stayed together.

Life was, definitely, simpler then.  John and I were so young; no worries, no responsibilities, and practically, no bills.  This photo says it all.  It was taken in 1975 in St. Thomas.

John lived in El Yunque, way inside the rainforest in Puerto Rico.  The house was designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright; all open with the jungle staring at you all the time.

We used to spend time with Louie who also lived even deeper into the rainforest, in a thatch roof hut that was out of a novel, collecting rare orchids and anthuriums.

When we moved from Puerto Rico, we chose the Delaware Beaches to live.  We never lived away from the ocean.  We really enjoyed it.  Plus, we were just a few hours drive from Baltimore, Maryland, where John was from.

Bethany Beach, 1977

We, actually, have 2 anniversaries; In Virginia and in Puerto Rico, married in different years.

Family, business, and responsibilities, then followed.  And, plenty of friends along the way.  He loved to hunt, golf, fish, ski, and the beach.  John was the original “foodie”, when that word was not even part of the vocabulary. We showed Michael and John how to work the blue crabs early.

His passion was real estate and the company he founded in 1988, in Bethany Beach, was his baby.  Tidewater Realty, Ltd. was a boutique style real estate firm catering to customers who appreciated personal and individual attention.  He sold a lifestyle that was also his own.

John loved good craftmanship and one of the last things he wanted was a box to be made for his Mariner’s Compass, circa 1885.  Scott Angelucci of Angelucci’s Fine Woodworking in Milford, Delaware, was commissioned by John to make the box.

The main wood is Tiger Maple.  The dark trim and the dark wood on the compass rose is called wenge and grows in the Congo River.  The lighter wood on the compass rose is yellow heart and grows in South America.  The repeated inlad design is cherry, maple and walnut.  Inside, the box is lined with velvet on the bottom and the rim is zebra wood, which grows in Africa.  The box is gorgeous and John would have loved it.

I opened one of my Kind Notes and it said:  “Gone from our sight, never from our hearts.”

I can close my eyes and turn the pages of my personal album.  Forty years together is a lifetime.  And John always said he had a good life.  He had his family’s back and I had his back.

And, until we meet again…for now, it is one foot in front of the other.