Friday Night Fun together for these widows

About 15 years ago Kathy took Sally Pettit out to dinner. Sally had just lost her husband and while Kathy wasn’t a widow, she wanted to be there for her friend. Little did they know from that one dinner it would turn into a lifelong friendship and Friday night fun together.

Friday nights became weekly evenings where these friends went out, had fun and it gave Kathy the opportunity to do what she did best, helping and supporting others, especially her dear friend Sally.

It was just the two ladies for the first couple of years, but then their mutual friend Lynn Tramposhand’s husband passed away and Kathy and Sally invited her to the Friday night dinners. From there, the ladies’ cozy little group grew one-by-one as friends and acquaintances lost their husbands and now it has about six to 10 friends that come out to eat together when they need a night out.

The group of friends isn’t an organized group or a club. In fact, Sally said, it’s not one you want to join.

“One evening when we were out to dinner at Applebees, a couple of young ladies said they wanted to join our group,” Sally said. “I told them this isn’t a group you want to be in. The young lady asked why and I told her, because your husband would have to pass.”

The widows look forward to their night together.

“We have our friends that we’ve formed through the years, but this bunch is unique,” Lynn said. “We formed our friendship out of something terrible, the loss of our spouses.”

Peggy Clark said the nice thing about knowing she always has plans on Friday nights is she knows it’s a night she doesn’t have to cook and she gets to go out.

“We look forward to it,” Bobbie Gamble said. “It’s our time together and we laugh. After dinner, we can usually be seen in the parking lot of the restaurant just talking. Some of us get together outside of Friday night dinners. Sometimes, we all get together. And you can bet, every Christmas morning, we are texting or calling each other to just wish each other a Merry Christmas.”

Outside of Friday night dinners, the ladies are friends who look out for each other. Sally recalled one Saturday when she tried calling Lynn, but there was no answer and no call back. A little time went by and she tried again, with the same results. Sally tried a few more times to contact Lynn without success and she became worried. She reached out to Bobbie who tried calling Lynn, too, but with no answer.

It was 10:00 at night and still, no answer, so Sally jumped in her car and picked up Bobbie and the two rushed over to Lynn‘s house. On their way, they tried one more call and this time she answered. She had been at a birthday party and didn’t hear her phone. Relieved, the ladies explained that they were worried about her.

“It’s because of the friendships formed with these amazing ladies that I know someone is always there for me,” Lynn said. “We are always looking out for each other, no matter what.”

This amazing bunch of ladies, most of whom have been in Canyon Lake for decades, found lifelong friendships through horrible loss.

“This is the type of community you get when you live in Canyon Lake,” Bobbie said. “Babbs (Decker) and I have been friends for 40-plus years, and we both reminisce about the time we shared with our husbands and each other on the lake. Now, we support each other in a different way.”

“Half of the ladies we dine with are at least 87 years old,” Sally said. “Most of us still remain pretty active. We like to come to the Lighthouse for dinner because it‘s close to home and we like having the dinners here. It‘s easy for us to come and eat and most importantly, support each other and laugh.”

From their greatest loss, they have gained their greatest support system, the ladies said.

“This month will mark the anniversary of my husband‘s passing,” Lynn said. “I know these ladies are there to help me through the day I lost him and, sadly, they can all relate to what that feels like. I’m grateful for that.”

And as Lynn finished her comment, the ladies sitting with her at their latest dinner all nodded their heads in agreement.