My father passed away in June of 1999. My mother was an independent woman. She had no desire to ever date or wed in her future. However, Bob Miller, after his wife passed away from cancer would leave his Ohioan home and travel towards his family haunts near Clymer, PA. He would visit a campground where I played music. This campground was Maple Grove Campground.
Since I played there with many bands and my aunt was part proprietor, my mother would go and listen to the music and talk with relatives and the many friends she had come to know.
Bob took an interest in my mother and eventually asked her out for a meal. Mother needed her two children to push her into that direction and she eventually agreed to a meal.
When the talk of marriage came up, I had to talk with her and give her my blessing. She required the “OK” to take the next step.
On August 29, 2009 the two were married in my back yard under the roof of the gazebo. Today, in 2021, marked their twelve-year anniversary.
My mother is 91 at this time and my step-father, Bob is almost 87. I have called her a cougar more than once.
The last couple of years have been difficult ones for the entire family.
In December 2018, a tree fell for no reason while the two of us were hunting deer. The big poplar tree grazed Bob knocking him down and breaking his leg requiring much surgery and pins and screws to repair. The tree would have killed him instantly by an inch.
In the spring of 2019, Bob developed some issues and by early summer it was determined he had cancer. The fight has been a long one for him and us, too. The chemo has caused a loss of his hair. His weight is low, but miraculously he is without the pain so often associated with cancer.
In April of 2020, my mother had a mini-stroke. Both of them had the covid in late 2020.
Bob is hoping to hunt deer this fall and I hope to help him drag one or two out of the woods.
We are all hoping for more years to come.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 
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