1978 Letters to Dad
While organizing a lifetime of paperwork for my 85 year old father, who was suffering from alzheimers, I was shocked to discover he’d saved two letters that were written to him, shortly after the suicide of his daughter, Marilyn. He had kept the two letters in pristine condition, neatly folded and stored in their original envelopes, tucked deeply away where our stepmother could not get to them. She liked to throw our pictures out, or bury them under silverware trays, and drawers filled to the top with craft magazines, I discovered after her death. She displayed pictures of her niece and family, in frames about the house, and stuffed away all the pictures that anyone from Dad’s children had sent. I saw large pictures of my nieces, 5X7, maybe larger, all hidden beneath a pile of magazines.
I have to mention that hurt a lot, to see them catering to the 4 parents (2 biological and 2 steps), all of whom had been so cruel to their mother for her entire life … and ignored me, one of the few people who really loved her, always loved her and always supported her because she was worthy of it 100%.
Below are two letters that were written to our father, by Lisa and I, three months after our sister, Marilyn’s death.
Above is my letter to Dad in 1978 where I’m convincing him (and myself) that my marriage will be a good thing … little did I know what lay ahead.
Below is a letter from Lisa, written at the same time, just three months after Dad has lost his daughter to suicide. Juanita said he fell on the floor and screamed like an animal when he learned of her death.
Oikos 