She was one of the greats ... ~ by Andrew Alpaugh

 

My first wife Wendy was the most amazing person I ever knew. She was kind, loving, faithful, and strong. She loved her family and she loved God so much. She was such a better person than me.

She was diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer coming up on 8 years ago. It was a devastating news for us. Glioblastoma is a very aggressive and fast-growing tumor that starts from the star-shaped cells in the brain called astrocytes. It can invade and destroy healthy brain tissue and cause many symptoms such as headaches, nausea, seizures, and personality changes.

We tried everything we could to fight this disease. She had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible, but it was impossible to get rid of it completely. She had radiation therapy and chemotherapy to kill the remaining cancer cells, but they were very resistant to treatment. She also tried an experimental therapy at Duke University using the polio virus injected into the tumor site, but nothing seemed to work.

She never gave up hope, though. She always trusted God and prayed for a miracle. She always smiled and thanked everyone who helped her. She always told me how much she loved me and our kids. She always encouraged me to be strong and positive.

She passed away Tue May 16 of 2017 in our home, surrounded by her family.  I miss her so much. I have had to learn to live without her. it wasn't always easy and ashamedly I was so angry at her for a time.  She was my soulmate, my best friend, my everything.

I want to honor her memory by writing this blog post tribute to her. I want to share with you some of the things that made her so special and wonderful. I want to celebrate her life and legacy.

Wendy was born in Greenville SC at the little hospital on campus at Bob Jones University. She was the youngest of two children. She had a happy childhood, full of love and laughter. She loved playing with her dolls, riding her bike, and reading books and pretending she was a teacher. She was very smart and curious. She always wanted to learn new things and actually started this blog long before I even knew what blogging was.

Although she didn't attend college she was smart as a whip and could have if she wanted to. She wanted to help people and make a difference in the world. She met me at the home of some mutual friends and we fell in love at first sight. We got married before I graduated from college and rented a duplex in Taylors SC, where we started our family.

We had three beautiful children: Tyler, Emily, and Bryson. Wendy was a wonderful mother. She devoted her life to raising them with love and care. She taught them everything she knew: how to read, how to write, how to play, how to pray. She took them to school, to church, to the park, to the zoo. She baked cookies with them, played games with them, read stories with them. She hugged them, kissed them, comforted them.

She was also a great wife. She supported me in everything I did. She cheered me up when I was down. She listened to me when I needed to talk. She cooked delicious meals for me, cleaned the house for me, did laundry for me. She surprised me with gifts, cards, flowers. She cuddled with me on the couch, watched movies with me, laughed with me.  For her it was just about spending time together.  You can imagine why I felt like someone gut punched a huge hole right through the center of me when she left.

She was also a faithful Christian. She loved God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength. She read the Bible every day, prayed every day, worshiped every day. She went to church every week, served in various ministries, gave generously to the needy. She shared the gospel with her life, invited people to join her faith community, mentored new believers.

She was also a fun-loving person. She enjoyed traveling, shopping, primitive decorations, and ice-skating. She liked music as well as photography. I look at the many many photos she took of our family and my heart is filled with love.  She had a great sense of humor and a contagious laugh. She had many friends who loved her dearly as did her parents, me and her children.

She was also a brave fighter. She faced her cancer diagnosis with courage and grace. She endured many painful treatments and procedures with patience and perseverance. She never complained or blamed anyone for her condition. She accepted God's will for her life and trusted Him for her healing.

She was also an inspiration to many people. She touched many lives with her kindness and generosity. She encouraged many people with her faith and hope. She influenced many people with her wisdom and example.

She was my wife Wendy and she was amazing.

She loved her "boop-boops".

She loved her "little-man".

She loved her "Emily bemily".

She was my "Doodle-bug"

I love you Wendy and I miss you so much.

You are now in heaven with God and I know you are happy and free from pain.

You are now my angel and I know you are watching over me and our kids.

You are now my hero and I know you are proud of me and our kids.

You are now my treasure and I know you are waiting for me until we meet again.

Love, 

Your not nearly as good as you were

first and only husband ... Andrew Alpaugh