My sister was always called Lynn by the family. Lynn was retarded but was intelligent enough to get along well in a group home. Her mother had a very bad cold when she was pregnant with Lynn. I believe it was the medications she took at that time that caused the retardation. Little was known about the effects of medications on the development of the baby at that time. Lynn could not read except she was ably to read enough of the TV program to find her favorite programs. She had a memory like an elephant for things she did. She always knew how old I was when I called her on the phone. Lynn lived at home until she was about 20 and attended a local school for the retarded. As she got older she did not do well being at home without people, other than her parents, to relate to. My parents were wise in sending her to a group home to live. There she could relate to others in similar situations. Mother and Dad would bring Lynn home occasionally for weekends. However, this disruption in her schedule was sometimes bad for her, as time went on she came home less, and they would visit her.

Lynn of course had only two brothers, but about the time she left home she began talking about her brother Fred. Fred was very real to her, and in no way could she be persuaded that Fred did not exist. In her mind Fred existed the rest of her life. I should have questioned her more about Fred to find out what he did. Maybe Fred was her guardian angle. I have heard several very reliable stores about the lives of young children being saved by angels. These angles could easily be the "imaginary friends" that young children sometimes have.

Florida has an excellent system for caring for special needs people. Lynn was initially at Sunland. She later was cared for by Lillie King. Mrs. King and her husband had several "children", as she always called them, at her home. Lynn was there for 15 or 20 years. Around 2000 Mr. King became seriously ill with a heart problem. Mrs. King placed all but one of her "children" in other homes. She picked a good home for Lynn in Wauchula. Lynn liked to sing alone very much. Her speech was not very clear, so it was not always easy to understand her. The day before she died the staff at the home noticed that she was singing more than usual. Lynn died in her sleep on 28 August 2008. She got up at 2:30 in the morning, got a glass of water and went back to bed. In the morning they found her with a smile on her face.

I had a difficult time deciding about going all the way to Florida to the funeral. After making the decision to go I felt at ease and that it was the right decision. Sometimes you have to act on a decision before God gives you peace. We had a nice service the Tuesday after Labor Day. The staff at the home made all the arrangements. Their pastor spoke and sang two songs. I first said a few things about Lynn. Mrs. King and others that cared for her in Wauchula said it was a joy having Lynn with them. Lynn was friendly to others in the home and did things that showed how much she cared about them. There was one man she would set on the porch with for long periods of time without talking much, just being together. In the last year they had given her the chore of picking up the mail. She had to be reminded her for a while, but she finally started looking forward to doing it and did it on her own.

Mrs. King and the home she was last at always took the "children" to church. To the best of her ability Lynn understood who God and Jesus were. Now she is free from her defective body, to enjoy eternal life like others in Heaven.