To know Dennis & Christine as a couple was to me like watching a Primer on love, devotion, tenderness, caring. A perfect fit, completeness, two souls united as one. Two different people in many ways, found each other, knew it was special & held onto each other always. They created and sustained an equally loving & devoted family who will support Dennis & each other because that is simply who they are. Christine knew that I am certain.

Mornings at Azure Gate were always something we looked forward to. Dennis, already awake for hours, would be working on some wondrous breakfast creation while Christine had already set an ever different & beautiful table. It was lovely meeting a variety of people & we came to enjoy watching the reactions of newcomers as a glorious breakfast was served & described by Chef Den. When time & schedules permitted, we had some great post breakfast chats over coffee with Christine. On several occasions we were fortunate to join either some or most of the Widman clan for breakfast. And part of the joy of those gatherings for us was how relaxed we could be because of the graciousness of all present & the palpable love in the room.

Just as we easily connected as couples, Christine & I developed a special bond. We spoke about family, life, death, our different beliefs & insecurities, our experiences with depression, our worries, our joys. We were in touch by email or phone & some of my best memories are from our chats in her beloved studio. Christine’s emails were always beautifully written with photos galore. I loved that. There were some difficult times & personal losses through those very brief years. I could text or call at any time & after speaking with Christine things always looked better. We last spoke in late 2020. Following news of her illness we were never able to connect by phone. Fortunately I saved a voice message from September 2020 that I will treasure always. I miss Christine. My heart aches for her “Den”. But I know for sure that Christine is alive & vibrant as the Beautiful Stardust she imagined.

The four of us hiking was a joy, always something new. Generally Dennis would forge ahead looking for birds & David would be with him or lagging far behind in an attempt to capture a perfect photo. Christine & I were somewhere in between, chatting away, trying to avoid spooking away birds. Those memories are, as Christine would say, “magical”.