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Today's Featured Biography

 
Jeanne Blackwell Cochran

We moved to North Carolina in our second year of marriage and lived in the same house for 24 years. Michael Kenneth was born on 11/2/77 and eight years later Matthew Richard came on 11/30/85. They have both grown up to be upstanding young men. Michael has been married since 2001. Matthew is in his last year at the University of NC and is getting married on January 4, of next year.

We moved into our dream house in 2001, a log home, in the middle of 6.5 acres of woods; which took about two years to build, since we did half of it ourselves. On December 24, 2006, I lost the love of my life and best friend, after a year-long struggle with Stage IV Colon Cancer. He was 2 days of turning 54 years old. We enjoyed traveling, racing, fishing, camping, boating, and spending time with our boys for 31 1/2 years. Our first grandchild, Lilly Mae, was born 7/27/07, 7 months after Rick left us.

I went back to college at 40 and got degrees in Computer Programming and Network Administration. I have worked in the Health Care Industry for 25 years and currently work in the IT department at CIGNA Government Services, a Medicare contractor. Rick was self employed, and had a construction equipment business that he managed alone. My older son, Michael has taken over the day-to-day operations of the business, and I now handle the invoicing and financial responsibilities, part time in the evenings.

My many animals also keep me busy and provide companionship now that I'm alone. I have 3 Australian Cattle Dogs, Kasey, Patch, and Zorro; 3 cats, Midnight, Sheba, and Tabby; 3 Ball Pythons, Khan, Kori, and Kopper; a Leopard Gecko, Spike; and a Box Turtle, Roxey.

Since Rick gave up his fight for life, I've learned to drive our 32 ft motor home, and to tow our 24 ft pontoon boat, put it in the water and get it out by myself. I drive a 1980 Fiat Spyder and a 2000 Jeep Wrangler. I've had to learn to check the oil, tire pressures, and do minor maintenance now. Rick and I were always do-it-yourselfers, so I learned many different skills during our years together, that allow me to now do things for myself. This has been the two hardest years of my life and I still struggle with the overwhelming grief and sadness of his loss. Some days my best accomplishment is just making it through the day. But I have close friends and family for mental and emotional support and a job that I enjoy (most of the time). I know I will never be the same person I was before his illness and death, but I will eventually adjust to the person I am now.

Well, that's the story of my life after graduation, in a nutshell.

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