The article reflects on the life and death of Jan Dawson, a matriarch whose family had faced significant tragedy. Jan was the mother of two daughters, Jennifer and Nancy, both of whom died young under tragic circumstances. The author expresses the intense emotional difficulty of writing about Jan, compounded by the deaths of her daughters. A memorial gathering in Cincinnati included musical tributes from family members, revealing the strong familial bonds even amidst sorrow. Ultimately, Jan's death signifies a cascading loss within this extended family, weighing heavily on the author's heart and memories.
It took a long time to be able to write about Jan. Every time I sat down to try it, I was overcome with a sadness I couldn't describe.
This has never been a problem for me before. I write a lot of obituaries every year. Some of them are written on deadline.
Jennifer and Nancy died before their mother, multiplying one of the worst agonies that a person can endure by a factor of two.
And so is my relationship with Jan, which lasted longer than both of my marriages, plus the years in between.
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