Bill and Ann Coogler

I love to write, but I hate to cook.  My husband, Bill, was very patient about this, but also, very thin.  I can make a big cooking show at Thanksgiving and Christmas, but my kids knew that after the big ‘do’,  Bill existed on my eraser shavings.  He was patient with the closed door to my office that says, ‘creative minds are seldom tidy.’ He listened to less than stellar writings and grinned patiently before he fell fast asleep over them.  This writer is less than organized and I married a military man, engineer (turned accountant) whose disciplined, organizational skills were legendary.

Somehow we managed to come together between paragraphs to dance, swim, and travel.  On the twenty-sixth of each month Bill brought me flowers to celebrate our ‘month-a-versary.’  July 26, 2010. we commemorated our thirteenth anniversary.  We began our marriage as ‘tollmates’,  he the accountant who handled my tax preparation.  Since I have been crippled by a math phobia since first grade, Bill worked diligently to be sure my numbers were correct.  His finesse at working with math calculations astounded me.

With God’s help, we made this unlikely combination work. Bound by writing paper and ledgers it was a match made in heaven. I still love you bunches, babycakes!

Bill Coogler – July 11, 1931-February 4, 2011