On a bright sunny day in April, 2009 many of our students and many of the administration came to plant “Kenneth’s Tree.” Below are just a sample of those there. We chose to have the tree planted in a position that we could see from our apartment and also be seen from Sheila’s apartment. The students of New Cottage said that they wanted to do something for the Reids and had a fundraiser. They sold pizza and decided to buy a stone to put by the tree. Some students went with Mrs. Cassel and chose a stone and then asked us what we wanted to have it say. We did not want to put the date that Kenneth died as we wanted to remember his life. He laughed much and loved deeply so that is what we chose to give tribute to. The date which was inscribed was when the tree was planted and it would remind us of the thoughtfulness of our New Cottage students that year. The next year we saw the first blossoms and on Valentine’s Day I would always put a red heart on the tree. In 2019, ten years later, it is seen to be growing well and healthy.
An explanation of the following pictures and just a little bit about Kenneth. The first three pictures are of Kenneth and Sheila in New Zealand. This is where I believe he knew that Sheila was his “true love.’” You can read more about Kenneth here. The second row of pictures shows Kenneth with us “Reids” in 2006 and then taking after his mom in dressing for Halloween as a great Jack Sparrow. He spent many dollars on phone calls to Sheila when she visited New Zealand. Kenneth came home to Natick for treatment in June, 2008 after being diagnosed with Mesothelioma. Kenneth was admitted to hospital on October 3rd, 2008 and remained in hospital, apart from a few short days at home, until his death 5 months later. During this time we visited him every day with the help of dorm parents enabling us to start duty an hour later. We always had coverage on the Sunday mornings we were on duty so that we could attend church. Kenneth married Sheila in Leonard Morse Hospital in Natick on Dec 18th, 2008. By this time he was on a ventilator but he managed to put an attachment in to speak his vows. The outpouring of help and love from the Walnut Hill community during his illness and his untimely death was something we will never forget. Sheila continued as our other dorm parent for 5 years. Kenneth’s brother has his 1972 Ford LTD. Our school nurse Tereza ran a fundraiser in his honor. For 5 years my friends and I raised money for Mesothelioma. It was called Combined Creations and is being superceded by a more mobile friendy version here which is still a work in process at this time. The last picture is the bench at Kenneth’s grave. It has his favorite Bible verse and “I love you” in Korean – for and from Sheila. I am writing this on Sheila’s birthday October 4th, 2019. She was the love of Kenneth’s life and will always be part of our family.
