In February 1992 my husband was stationed at NAS Lemoore, Calif. As a young couple with no kids and no money, one of the things we did for fun was get together with our friends on the weekends to play cards. On this particular weekend a new couple was joining the group. New arrivals to the base. They had a baby girl, Samantha. She was nine months old. The husband was easy going enough. But the wife, she was super outgoing and with a heavy southern accent to boot. One of the first things I said to her was, "And which of the southern states are you from?" I thought it was funny. She didn't. She was from Kentucky.
I worked in customer service at JC Penney a few towns over. A few days later I answered the phone and on the other end was a woman asking for directions to the store in the most southern voice I had ever heard. I said, "LeNita, is that you?" It was. And the rest, as they say is history. It was the beginning of the most wonderful friendship. A friendship that stood the test of time, distance, trials and tribulations. Samantha, the nine month old, is now a senior in high school. I love her and her sister and brother, Tori and Josh, as if they were my own. LeNita's parents, Howard and Clara Staley, are like a second family to me. For the last 17 years I have been honored to call LeNita Jo Meehan my best friend. We have shared each other's joys and each other's pains. When I went back to school there were so many times when I thought I would never make it. But LeNita lifted me up and gave me the inspiration to keep going. We spent countless hours on the phone together. Sometimes we would talk two or three times a days. In recent years when she was ill and didn't feel like talking it didn't matter to me I knew she still loved me just the same. LeNita called me a couple of days ago. She left a voicemail. I didn't even bother to listen to it. I was so excited to see that she had called. I called her right back. We had a nice visit. Then later I listened to the voicemail. If I had known she was going to die a few days later I wouldn't have deleted it. If I had known that was the last time I would hear her voice, I would have hung onto it forever. But I didn't. Her husband called me tonight with the devastating news no one wants to get. His wife is gone. Their babies mother is gone. My best friends is gone. God bless Patrick, Samantha, Tori, and Josh. God help us all find a way to cope with this great loss. God bless our beloved LeNita Jo Meehan.
