There is nothing like cousins

"Two Peas in a Pod"

My cousin Diane Kirby Duncan Butler passed away today (August 10, 2011) in a car accident that killed, her husband, herself and one of her granddaughters.  I can honestly say that I have not had a death hit me as hard as Diane's.  We were close cousins, her father was my mother's brother and we were the same age.  I grew up on a farm in Idaho and she grew up in Salt Lake City.  Every year Uncle George would bring his family up to the farm for a visit.  Diane and I grew very close during those years.  When I was in my teens I was able to spend time with her in the summer.  Our husbands were very magnanimous towards us when we would get together, as we would talk and laugh non stop.  As our families got bigger, it was much more difficult to spend time together, yet we always remained close.  The above picture was taken 18 months ago at our aunt's funeral. 

Diane's first husband passed away expectantly Thanksgiving weekend three years ago.  When this picture was taken, she was telling me about a man who wanted to marry her.  She wanted to know what I thought.  Since I have not been in her situation and didn't know the man all I could say is something a widow friend of mine had asked herself when she was in that situation..."how would I feel if I didn't marry him?"  (Thank you Sharon).  Shortly after that they got married.  Funny thing, her husband was my sister's husband cousin (cousins married cousins, small world).

I had 6 cousins my age: Loraine Knapton was killed in a car accident when we were 19, Bruce Jensen died in Viet Nam at the age of 21, Sharon Sorensen Swasey literally dropped dead while she was getting in her car just a few years ago.  Diane passed away today.

We have been planning a cousins trip to Scotland, where our Kirby grandparents came from.  Just today on my way home from visiting my mom I was thinking about Diane and wondering exactly when we were going to go...it makes me sad that we won't get to go together.  I just visited with her last week and told her that we would come and see her on one of our trips to Utah, her last words were, "surprise me!"  Little did I know that Diane would be the one to surprise me.  I will miss Diane.