IN MEMORY OF IAN MCKEE
I’ve been thinking about Ian McKee for the last several days… and thinking of his wife, Margaret Wright. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you might recognize those names – Ian and Margaret are our friends who live in the loft building in Phoenix where we spent our days as our motorhome was renovated in February.
Ian suffered a heart attack on Thursday, March 24, and died the following day. It was completely unexpected and sudden. My heart aches for Margaret.
We first met Margaret and Ian on the internet; they were good friends of our friends, Fred and Jo Wishnie. When we were in Phoenix in December of 2009, we met them in person at a restaurant they recommended, the Blue Adobe Grill (which has since become a favorite). As happens often in the RV community, we had a great time with them, and stayed in touch. When we needed a place to stay during our renovations, they suggested the loft and worked with the owner and with us to make that happen.
Now, Ian and Margaret are often in my thoughts – and his unexpected passing is a sharp reminder to savor each moment, to cherish our loved ones, to renew our appreciation and gratitude each day. Ian clearly enjoyed his time, and we were lucky to share some of it with him. Rest in peace, Ian.
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rest in peace, Ian!..what a sad day for bloggers everywhere..we never had the pleasure of meeting the two of them but followed their blog! :*(
ReplyDeleteHow very sad for Margaret and for you and for all their other friends. Life is just so short. It really hits home to live each day as if it were your last.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for the loss of your friend and the pain Margaret must be feeling in the loss of her husband. You are so right -- life is short and we never know what will happen around the bend!
ReplyDeleteSafe travels & God bless
So sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. And thank you again for the reminder to cherish each day we have with those we love and to enjoy the beauty that we are blessed with.
ReplyDeleteHow sad to hear of your friend Ian's passing. I have a friend who had massive heart attack just over a week ago. She's still in ICU, but it's not looking good. Your reminder to savor each moment and cherish our loved ones is very timely. I'd add, please take care of yourselves and pay attention to those little warming signs.
ReplyDeleteOur prayers are with Margaret and the rest of Ian's friends and family in this difficult time.
Life is so very precious, don't waste a day.
ReplyDeletePeace to Ian and Margaret.
Very nicely written. A sweet tribute to a dear man. I am so glad you had the opportunity to spend time with them this year. We love them both dearly and will miss Ian immensely. Margaret will have many sad days ahead, but she has the love and support of her friends around her. Another reminder of the brevity of life and the need to cherish our loved ones every day. Thanks for your blog.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about Ian's death. It is a blatant reminder that none of us knows what the next day holds so we better make the best of today.
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes out to you and Odel, to Margaret and her family, and all of their friends.
Sorry to hear of the loss. Those of us who are left here must remember, The Lord gives us only today to have. Tomorrow is but a promise. Today is not to be wasted. Never put off until tomorrow telling others how much you care about them. Tomorrow may not be yours to have. Prayers for Margaret, that her grief might be eased with the memories of better days gone by.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about the loss of your friend and my heart goes out to his wife and family.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, life is short and plans can abruptly change.
We are so sorry to read of Ian's death and our prayers go out to Margaret and her family.
ReplyDeleteWe had the pleasure of meeting them both a year ago at an art fair in Cave Creek, AZ. where Margaret was exhibiting her photography.
We should all take a lesson here....Life is sooo precious, handle with care...Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend...
ReplyDelete[I hope this isn't a duplicate post -- I completely lost the one I just wrote, so am trying to recreate it! Grrrr.]
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and totally unexpected tribute, Laurie. I've always known you're a sensitive and perceptive writer, but I never expected your talents to be directed at something so personally meaningful to me. Thank you.
Ian loved getting to know you all better (as have I, but I don't consider myself done with the process quite yet!). He so loved our RV adventures and all the great people we met along the way. I'm just so grateful that we had the chance to have those times together.
I've been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and sympathy from the RV community -- much of it from people we've never met or know only through blogs or forum postings. It's truly a community in the best sense of the world and I hope I can stay in touch at least a bit as I move into my "new normal".
I doubt very much that I'll be traveling by RV, at least in the near future. It was so much a "we" thing that I can't fathom doing it alone. But . . . never say never!
Thank you again for your sweet words and I'll be thinking of Odel and you next week. Best wishes and good thoughts for smooth sailing with the surgery -- and for you in your Weight Watchers journey! Nothing's easy at our ages, right?
May he rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteSo very sorry to hear about the sudden death of your friend. I've always thought I'd like to just be here one day and gone the next but suddenness is very difficult on those left behind.
ReplyDeleteThe concluding paragraph of your post Laurie was simply beautiful and so so true.
Sherry
www.directionofourdreams.blogspot.com
Laurie & Odel -- I want to add my sincere condolences to you both on the loss of your friend. I remember reading your blog back when you were staying at the loft and thinking how nice it was that you had these friends who had helped with the loft arrangement and who were nearby for get togethers. It was so nice to read that Margaret is receiving such wonderful support from the rving community. Hopefully, this same community will be able to help 'buoy' her in the difficult months ahead!
ReplyDeleteThinking of you two as you 'celebrate' eight great years of your 'Life on the Road' tomorrow -- April Fool's Day!!
Well, Laurie and Odel - it turns our we are following you after all. This was a beautiful tribute to your friends. It's sad that we have allowed ourselves to be so busy with "real life" that we've had to strictly limit the time we spend on reading blogs, and even writing our own. We sure appreciate you guys as our followers, especially with your latest comment on our insult. We need to track each other's travels so our paths will cross for lunch or dinner!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry for your loss, and Margaret's as well. :(
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