“No one you love 
is ever truly lost.” 
~ Ernest Hemingway

When I received my class rosters prior to the first day of teaching at St. Augustine’s College in Nassau, I had no idea that one of the students on those lists would become a lifelong friend. Kim Brohier was in one of my 10th grade classes. Since Religious Studies classes at SAC met only twice each week, I had quite a few different groups of students, about 250 in all. Getting to know that many students, while seeing them only twice a week, was a challenge. Despite this obstacle, I was able to make positive connections with a number of my students.

When the 1974-75 academic year ended, and I returned to California, I kept in touch with several of my students and former colleagues via postal mail. The internet and email were not yet available, and the Bahamian post office was a reliable agency for delivering the mail. That’s not the case today. By the year 2000, most correspondence was done by email, though Kim was a prolific writer of handwritten notes. Her penmanship was perfect, and the cards and stationery she used reflected her artistic flair. After the collapse of the Bahamian postal system, Kim resorted to email and, in later years, Facebook for communication.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit Nassau several times since my year at SAC — 1979, 1981, 1985, and again in 2006. Not surprisingly, I got together with Kim for a meal or visit each time. In 1981, Kim and I celebrated her 21st birthday with dinner at The Wharf Restaurant in Nassau. In 1999, Kim and her husband, Simon, along with their then 11-year-old son, Dana, visited us here in San José. Kathy and I joined them for a delightful dinner at Alfred’s Restaurant in The City. To allow Kim and Simon to enjoy an adults-only excursion to the wine country, Dana stayed with us for a few days. 

Kim and I knew each other for almost 50 years! When each of us got married, our spouses embraced our friendship. I received a message from Kim on Saturday, March 11th informing me that her doctor had told her it was time for her to put her affairs in order. Kim had been battling cancer for several years. It wasn’t easy for her, but she continued to remain optimistic. When her doctor told her, “It’s time to get ready,” she knew she’d given it her best fight.

With Kathy’s blessing, I flew down to Nassau on March 18th to visit Kim one last time. On Sunday, the 19th, I spent two hours with Kim and Simon. It was bittersweet. Of course, I enjoyed seeing them, but knowing that Kim’s days were numbered weighed on my heart. I returned home on Saturday, the 25th.

We continued to correspond via Facebook messages, but while mine were typed, Kim began sending voice messages, as she simply did not have the energy to type her words. With each new voice message I received, I could hear the increasing weakness in her voice. Two weeks ago, the messages I received were from Simon. I knew the end was near.

Kim passed away this morning at 6:40 EDT. I saw the message from Simon a few minutes ago. When we visited in March, Kim told me she didn’t want to linger or to be an inconvenience to anyone. She didn’t, and she wasn’t. She will be missed.