Todd.

     Charlotte left behind a husband and 4 young children.  Todd age 13, Amber age 11, Terry age 8 and Pandora age 5.  Each dealt with grief in their own way as time passed.  Much like my grandmother Charlotte, I also never knew my Uncle Todd.   

     Todd and his wife Alynda gave birth to a son on November 1, 1982.  They named him Christopher James Wilson.  Christopher was Todd's first name, and James was my grandfather.  Though I never knew Todd nor witnessed his interactions, every picture I've seen portrays him as a father who loved his son.  I think he saw it as an opportunity to give Chris the life he had been robbed.  Unfortunately, after several years of marriage, Todd and his wife separated.  He was distraught over the situation and began drinking and using drugs more heavily.  On Sunday, December 16th, Todd complained he didn't feel well.  He stuck it out through Sunday but on Monday had decided he needed to go to the hospital.  Once admitted, the doctors quickly found out he had taken Speed a few days prior.

  

      I'm uncertain when things took a turn and about the details the doctors gave him.  But his brother Terry (my dad) recalls that he was unconscious when they arrived to see him.  My mother said she remembers the doctors saying there was nothing they could do to save Todd.  He passed at 8:20pm on December 17th, 1984.  The death certificate states the cause of death as:

1. Respiratory failure (interval between onset and death 1hr 20min)

2. Due to or as a consequence of acute massive pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) with acute myocardial infarction (heart attack, interval between onset and death 24hrs). 

3. Due to or as a consequence of a history of speed injection. 
  

     At this point no one was thinking the two deaths could be related.  It seems to me that when the doctors knew he had taken Speed, they gave up.  Possibly assuming he wanted to die.  Maybe I'm biased, but I'm confused about the timeline of events.  I thought that when a person overdoses, they die quickly.  Todd had taken the drugs 2-3 days earlier.  I know that's not true in all cases and their may be many like his.  But I just don't buy into it yet.  There had to be a better explanation for what was happening.  Was it honestly just a coincidence that he was preceded in death my his 30 year old mother?

     Todd passed away at the age of 25 leaving his son behind the same way his mother Charlotte had left him.  My grandfather would now bury his wife and son side by side.

Todd & Chris

Charlotte.

     My grandmother Charlotte was such a beautiful woman.  Men would stare as she cruised by in a convertible with her hair blowing in the wind.  Station wagon?  Pass.  She carried all four kids in style.  People have often said that no matter where she was, her kids were always with her.  I know they didn't have a lot of money, but Charlotte made sure the kids were always dressed nice and that their hair was perfectly in place.  They were her life and I like to think she was a great mother.  I've always referred to her as Charlotte because I never knew her, and I keep her picture close because I long to.  I'd give anything to hear her voice and see her mannerisms.   

     On May 30th, Charlotte was in Tyler for the day with her son Todd.  She had started to feel sick so she contacted her husband James (my grandpa).  She told him that she felt she needed to see a doctor but he urged her to come home.  I'm sure he felt she was overreacting and would feel better when she could relax.  Charlotte and Todd weren't home for very long before an ambulance was called to pick her up.  She was rushed to the hospital.

     My mom and I recently spoke with one of the men who was on the ambulance with her.  He was only 16 at the time but said he remembers the day so vividly.  We were told that she was in excruciating pain.  She specifically said the pain was in her back and that it was worse than child birth.  Coming from a woman who bore four children, she had her facts straight.  Once they arrived at the hospital, doctors desperately tried to figure out what was wrong.  I don't know how long she was conscious and I can't imagine her fear.  I've been told that she was being pumped with blood and knowing what we now know about the condition, that was the last thing she needed. 

     Charlotte died at 1:45am on May 31, 1972 at the age of 30.  Her death certificate says she only lived 14 hours after the onset of symptoms.  The cause of death was stated as a spontaneous aortic rupture of the thoracic aorta.  Of course at this point to our family, it was just that.  Spontaneous.

     

Terry, Amber, Pandora, Charlotte & Todd