A True Neighbor

We got back from Portugal and got terrible news.  My Mom's best friend and neighbor of my family 

for 30 years passed away.  She had been struggling with cancer and it had gone into remission but then apparently came back.  Her name was Linda King.  She defined what a neighbor should be.  Our

families moved into two brand new homes next to each other in a new subdivision in the late 70s and have been close friends ever since.  I took care of her children when they were little - babysitting for her three boys in high school and college. When I needed work - she employed me in her business whenever I needed money because I had such crazy hours in college. When I was in my early 20's, I did a lot of community theatre and they came with my parents to see every play - as excited to see me as my parents.  Whenever, I came home to visit over the years, we would go out to dinner and they would always have me over to their house.  They were very close to my parents and when my brother, Chris, died in 2005 - they held a memorial at their home and went on trips together through out my parents grieving process.  My parents sold their home and moved a short distance away. When it came time to move back to be closer to San Antonio, Linda and her her family built a 2 bedroom mother in law apartment on the lot they owned next to them so they could look after each other. The apartment was two doors down from their original house and it felt like they had never left the neighborhood.  Linda was there at the hospital the day my Dad died in 2013 and at my mother's side at the service never leaving her alone.  You couldn't ask for a better friend or a better neighbor.  We loved her so much and she will be greatly missed.