Robert Frost, (1874-1963) was an American poet who depicted life through the language and situations of the common man.  One of his most famous poems was “The Road Not Taken.”  Every day we are faced with decisions, choices of varying significance.  Some, such as what shall I wear today, or what shall I have for lunch have temporary consequences; but others, such as whom shall I marry, can be quite monumental.

Sixty years ago I was faced with such a choice—not bragging, but I had two very attractive and eligible suitors who sought my attention and affection.  One was a tall, dark, handsome college student with ambitions to complete his education to a doctoral degree, and have a successful career in finance and economics and all of the accoutrements and benefits thereof. His dreams were lofty and his future looked very bright.  His name was Vincent.

The other was a young man who had been orphaned as a teenager, was working in an entry level job at a bank during the week and at the local supermarket on weekends to support his younger siblings, and was attending night classes to help further his career. He had a strong work ethic and was charming, but it looked as though his life would be a struggle,  His stated goal in life was to make me happy, and he committed to do everything necessary to make that happen.  His name was Ed.

As everyone knows, I chose the latter.  His passion and positivity won my heart; and we built a wonderful life together that lasted more than 56 years.  I never regretted that decision and could not have been happier.

However, when I was researching incidents and recollecting memories to include in my first book,  Je t’aime, I thought of that first young man because he was part of my life at the time my father was killed and wondered what had become of him. A lame attempt to find him on line was unsuccessful.

Then, as I was completing Tears of My Heart, Poems and Stories of Bereavement last summer, I again thought of him because he was involved in one of the stories. Once again I thought of looking him up. This time I contacted the Alumni office at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, because that’s where we had met.  The school said they could not divulge his contact information but would pass along my request.  They also suggested that I try Google-ing him. At the time I didn’t take it any further.

Now to the present day- this past weekend to be precise:  After the recent attempted hack of my computer I was advised to clear out the messages I had been hoarding in various outdated accounts.  Being homebound by the caronavirus gave me the perfect opportunity to do so.  There were more than 2500 messages.  This exercise proved to be the silver lining in the cloud of technical difficulties.

There were many comments on early blogs that had defaulted to an account I haven’t used in quite a while, and there was the message from St. Peter’s Alumni office suggesting the Google search for Vincent.  What the heck.  I had the time.  Let’s see what I could find.  I put in his name and last known residence (remember that was sixty years ago).  To my surprise the first item that came up in response was:

                     Vincent Driscoll, Obituary.

Vincent R. Driscoll, of Cheshire, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 2^nd, 2020, at the Vitas Innovative Care Unit of Saint Mary’s Hospital, surrounded by the love and comfort of his family, after an extended illness. He was the devoted husband of Susann (Roche) Driscoll.
Vincent was born March 16th 1938 in Jersey City, NJ the son of the late James and Margaret (O’Shea) Driscoll. He was raised in Jersey City and was a graduate of Saint Peter’s Prep and Saint Peter’s College. He received his MBA from NYU and Ph.D. in finance from the New School for Social Research in NYC. While teaching at Quinnipiac University, he also held positions as Director of the MBA program and Chairman of the Economic and Finance Departments. He retired in 2009. Vincent and Susann enjoyed traveling and together explored the Irish countryside, visited England and the Canadian Rockies, and spent time in Alaska. Vincent was a devoted family man and was always happiest while spending time with his wife, his children and grandchildren, and his beloved dachshund. Vincent will be remembered for his amazing sense of humor, his generous spirit, and the kindness and joy he brought to those whose lives he touched.
Left to cherish his memories and honor Vin’s love and legacy, in addition to his wife of 55 years, Susann (Roche) Driscoll, are his daughters, Captain Colleen Sweeney (USN) and her husband, Doctor Neal Sweeney, PhD., of Potomac, MD; Doctor Jennifer Driscoll, Ph.D., of Hamden and Kathleen Driscoll of Belmont, MA. Vincent and Susann were blessed with four adoring grandchildren, Ryan, Alyssa, Declan, and Lucinda as well as several nieces, nephews and numerous family members and friends. Vincent was predeceased by a brother, James Driscoll and sisters, Carol Bolger and Margaret Ford.
A Mass of Christian burial for Dr. Driscoll will be held on Friday, February 7th, 2020 at Saint Bridget of Sweden Church 175 Main St Cheshire at 10:30 a.m. Those planning to attend are kindly asked to meet directly at the church. There are no calling hours. Burial will be held privately at the request of the family. Casey’s Eastside Memorial Funeral Home, 1987 East Main St., Waterbury, CT 06705 is honored to be assisting the Driscoll family. Vin had a compassion for animals and in his memory can be made to the Cheshire Animal Shelter, rescue dogs. Donations PO Box 523, Cheshire, CT 06410.

Sorry though I was to hear he had died, I was delighted to see that he had achieved his dreams, had a successful career, a long and loving marriage and a lovely family.  I had my answer; I had closure;   and although I probably would have done well with either alternative, I’m still happy I made the choice I did.