Mary Templin, the wind beneath his wings
Bob Templin was a legend and his death at age 93 in 2017 brought many well-deserved tributes to his business acumen, generosity and servant’s heart. His bride of a half century, Mary, had been by his side through many of his accomplishments. Petite and proper and pretty as a picture, Mary was a steel magnolia. I can still hear Bob’s voice as he’d say often, “Mary and I ...” always including and crediting her for being the wind beneath his wings.
In January I attended Mary’s 89th birthday party at Garden Plaza. She was as beautiful as ever, gracious and delighted to visit with so many long-time friends. Although somewhat frail she “worked the room” making sure that every guest knew how special they were to her.
Mary joined her sweetheart in Heaven on Saturday and I don’t have to wonder what Bob’s reaction was to being reunited with his love. I’m sure they’re both serving on Heaven’s hospitality committee and Bob is once again saying, “Mary and I.”
Condolences to Robert, Barbara and Blythe and their families.
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According to the Mayo Clinic, seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that’s related to changes in seasons — SAD begins and ends at about the same times every year. What I didn’t realize it that it’s not just something that affects people in the dreary days of late winter, causing moodiness and lethargy.
For me each winter, usually in February or March, my husband will encourage me to “go find sun” to help me snap out of it. But something I’ve noticed in recent years is that August in North Idaho has become a stressful month for many, COVID notwithstanding.
And for the past several years the hottest days of our too-brief summer now likely include smoky skies that make it hard to breathe, cause eyes to burn and turn blue skies into brown skies. For those with school-age kids, the race is on to get vacationing in before school starts, and this year there’s the uncertainty of what school will look like when it starts. For everyone, making time to get out on the lakes and rivers and into the woods for camping is now in the home stretch.
I’m making an effort to live in the moment in these last dog days of summer and stop looking at the calendar, which only reminds me of the break neck speed in which August already is moving. My prescription? Go jump in the lake, or the river or the pool!
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Purple Heart Day is observed on Aug. 7 to commemorate the creation of the Purple Heart in 1782 and is a time for Americans to pause to remember and honor the brave men and women who were either wounded on the battlefield or paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives in service to America.
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Happy birthday today to Doris Weaver, Dave Holinka, Kristin Kilmer, Jonathan Thomas Burnett and Danna Ziegler. Tomorrow Tracey Fouché, George Evjen, Brenda Knight, Rick Marshall, James Fulton, Shirleen Jacobs, Christine Maiani, Kelli Aiken and Tom Wood will toast another year. Bill Kinder, Cindi Wimmer, Greg Delavan, Bob Nonini, Billie Collins and Dan Dahl blow out the candles on Friday.
8/8 birthdays will be celebrated by Roberta Larsen, Sara Meyer, Jodi Anderson, Eli Yates, Jeff Humphrey, Ken McMeans, Virginia Griggs, Jim Hollingsworth, Jennifer Bokma, Heidi Phillips-Allen and Patty Collins. On Sunday Anne Anderson, Joni Hay-Smith, Terry Morris, Jack Havens, Kyle Patterson and Christian Strailman celebrate the anniversary of their birth.
On Monday Jeff Grundon, Caryl Johnston, Sydney Sales, Jeremy Morris, Chelsea Cordova, Bonita Koontz, Tim Symons and John Hammon take another trip around the sun. Tuesday birthday girls are Ann Seddon, Phyllis Berry, Erin Valente, Lisa Bell and Edith Uhl.
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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email mainstreet@cdapress.com. Follow her on Twitter @kerrithoreson.