The closing of a chapter

An Outdoorsman’s Journal

Hello friends, This week’s column is going to be all over the map but centered around one thought. That is memories and what has taken place since my life partner Michelle Chiaro, who was an ICU nurse at the Aurora hospital in Hartford, passed away unexpectedly on June 15.

I have been blessed since Michelle’s passing by literally hundreds, probably 400, kind acts by friends, neighbors, family and readers of this column and I want to say thank you!

My family held the first Celebration of Life for Michelle, and it was a campfire/picnic event at our home. Michelle would have loved it.

On July 15, Michelle’s coworkers had a picnic at Pike Lake State Park near Hartford. It was six hours long and planned so that both day and night shift could come. I brought hunting and fishing pictures as well as her crossbow and a beautiful dress that we had a family portrait taken in. Again, Michelle would have been so proud.

I hate to touch on this subject, and I know that I will heal. But I am a mess, and honesty feel like I have lost my mojo.

Michelle was addicted to the outdoors and was a horse woman before I came along, but she immediately got into anything outdoors. Last year she shot her first turkey and was getting a full mount on what is the biggest bird that I have ever called in for someone. My good friend Todd Krueger at Todd’s Taxidermy is doing the mount and I was going to surprise Michelle with it in our living room.

Last Thursday I headed down to Little Italy, Ark., which is where Michelle’s family is from and where her final and largest ceremony would be held. The drive was quite the adventure in the Chevy Hotel as I had brought Red along and for the first 400 miles she had diarrhea. The air conditioning does not work and let me tell you, it was steamy in Arkansas.

Michelle’s funeral was Saturday, and I was given the honor of being one of the speakers. I was a wreck for days but pulled it off and one of the stories that I told was of how Michelle saved the life of my golden retriever Ruby when she was giving birth back in April. We kept a pup that I named Red, but she wanted to name Rosey. While speaking to all of her many friends and family, I told the story and announced that Red’s AKC name would be Rosey Red Chiaro.

Michelle had many people travel for this day and it was cool to visit with her former classmates from Good Council Elementary School and Mount St. Mary’s Catholic High School out of Little Rock. Of all the people on the face of this earth, I have never met a person that people liked, loved, and admired as much as Michelle. There were nurses representing hospitals from all over the United States where she had worked.

I also think I should mention that this was a threeday event as it was St. Francis of Assisi’s Catholic Church’s 100-year centennial in this incredible community. It made Michelle’s celebration three days of good people spending time together. Deacon Chris Dorer, you are loved by your community.

I have written about what was becoming an addiction concerning her desire to hunt, fish, and camp with me. During the grave side ceremony, I was quite possibly given the largest honor of my life when I saw that her parents Vince and Tony Chiaro, who I feel very close to, had made the decision to put a fish, a turkey and a deer on her headstone.

There is not a minute that I don’t miss her! Sunset