This is a post that I've had sitting in draft for 3/4ths of a year now. I wrote it way back last December the 23rd... 6 days before Emmah entered the hospital for the last time. I had almost all but forgotten about it until today. Today marks Lesley's 43rd birthday.
The following is not edited to reflect the passing of the past 9 months, but as if it happened yesterday... cuz that's when it was written... the day after we got the news.
It is with a very heavy heart that I write that we lost someone very close and dear to our family and to Julie in particular. Lesley Jankausky... Julie's long time friend, maid of honor at our wedding, Lyndsey's Godmother and helper/birth coach during Nick's birth.
Julie recounts a story from after Nick was born... upon Lesley taking over the "carrying duties" (as Julie's labor was a long one) she proclaimed , "I'm sorry, I just can't carry him anymore." In fairness... Nick was a mini-tank being only a few sugar packets shy of 10 pounds.
She moved to Colorado some time ago and was a science teacher teaching at Evergreen Middle School. She still has a lot of friends in the Chicagoland area (including her dad) and it was our understanding that she was en-route coming home for Christmas.
Heading east on interstate 80, near a town called Paxton (in Nebraska) at approximately 7am local time, it appears that she hit some black ice and lost control and crossed the median into the westbound lanes and collided with a semi. Julie was the first person of contact as the Keith County sheriff called Julie at work. It seems that the only number they had was from a card that Julie sent that Lesley had in her purse.
She was way too young at only 42.
I wanted to post something when it happened (12/22/09) but we hadn't told the kids yet and this wouldn't be the way we wanted them to find out.
Auntie Lesley was adored by the kids. Even though our respective lives got in our way (not to mention the geographic constraints) limiting how often we'd get to see Auntie Lesley, no matter the length of time between, our kids enthusiasm (as well as Lesley's) never waned. She was like a rock star in that the kids would be smitten and vying for her attention whenever she was around. She was, in spite of the miles between us, very much a part of our family.
Over about 17 years or so, the Lesley that I had come to know had a great zest for life and was always (seemingly) doing something, or was just about to embark on doing something. She and I shared an affection for all things Beatles, and she was a White Sox fan... nuff said! I mean what wasn't to like?
Here are a some links to a few pictures we have of her from when we last saw her when she caught up with us and camped with us across Colorado during Emmah's Make-A-Wish trip.... at breakfast, with the kids and with Ana... The breakfast picture and the kids picture were taken on day that we parted company. She headed back home and we pressed west. Who knew that that would be the last time that we would see her?
Lesley had brought along her own tent to sleep in and I remember during one of the first nights of camping on that trip, we experienced a major windstorm. I remember that as the winds howled (and it was rather chilly) I recall thinking that I didn't want to get out of my warm sleeping bag (@ like 6am) and make my way across the campground to go to the bathroom. Eventually I had to heed the call of my bladder and made the trek. Naturally I wasn't in a great rush to get back as the building that housed the bathroom also had a sitting area... and it was warm inside. I took a seat and saw Lesley making her way to the building... she also answering the call. She then sat down with me and I asked her if it was windy by her (our tents were adjacent to one another... as in right next to each other) she laughed. We continued talking for a bit talking about our disbelief of the weather. She then said that she had to go since like 3am but she was afraid that she was the only thing keeping her tent from blowing away.
I realize that by the time I post this that some time will have passed, but I wanted to get something into words while the feelings were fresh. I also realize that I am not alone in this feeling... but I for one will miss her.
A saying comes to mind "It's not the years in your life, it's the life in your years"... Lesley was a personification of that saying.
Lesley, you (and Billy Joel) were right... "only the good die young"
R.I.P.
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