To Cori

Cori and Sarge. Sarge and Cori.

You might as well get rid of the "and" and create a new name.

CoriSarge. Or SargeCori.

Because that is what they were. They were one.

Man, they were amazing.

No other woman on this planet could have been married to Sarge. Nobody. She was perfect for him.

She knew when to let Sarge be Sarge; she knew when to stand up to him. She did it naturally because she knew exactly who her husband was and she knows exactly who she is.

Sarge could never have been married to a wimp, nor could he ever have been married to a piranha. He needed a woman he could love. He needed a woman who would love him as he was. He needed a woman he could respect.

Cori is all that and more.

She did not make him better, he did not make her better. He was and she is perfect exactly as themselves.

But there was a magic there between them, something special, a vibe that everyone could feel. When you stepped into their aura you knew good things, fun things, were about to happen.

Cori did not exist in Sarge's shadow, as a weaker woman would have. She casts her own shadow and it is formidable.

Let me tell you something. I never would have messed with Sarge. He would have kicked my ass. And I will never mess with Cori either. She can kick my ass too.

Together they created an atmosphere at Sarges' Tailgate Grille that was perfect. I have never been in any other bar or restaurant where I felt more comfortable.

And believe me I have done my homework. I have been in a lot of bars.

The comfort Carol and I felt there was not just because we are family. If we weren't family it would not have mattered. The Grille was an extension of who Cori and Sarge were. When you walked in there you were among friends.

You felt it. You knew it. It was in the air, it was in the contentment of the people sitting at the bar, the happiness of the people dining in the restaurant.

The Grille would not have been the Grille without Sarge. The Grille would not have been the Grille without Cori.

Period.

Cori is her own woman, she is sharp, a no bullshit kind of woman. She also has a direct, wicked sense of humor, a streak of insanity, a compassionate and caring and loving nature, and a quiet cool.

We visited Cori and Sarge a lot when he was at Seal Rock. I looked a round a lot. I took it all in.

Because it broke my heart to see Sarge in that setting because I know he hated being in that situation.

The thing I noticed most powerfully was the way Cori looked into Sarge's eyes. I saw it time and time again as she tended to his needs, worked so hard to make him physically comfortable and tried so hard to comfort him emotionally.

She look directly into his eyes as they talked. And he looked up into her eyes with complete trust and pure love. Words could never have expressed what their eye to eye contact did.

The intensity of that emotion blew me away and broke me down every time. It was the ultimate expression of the ultimate love.

No one could have comforted Sarge the way Cori did. No one would have been strong enough to do it.

None of this surprised me. I have been around Cori and Sarge for almost 40 years. I have seen the love she gave him, the laughter she inspired in him, the strength she drew from him and the strength she gave to him.

 Cori told us she was looking into Sarge's eyes as he was looking into her hers at the end. Holding him and talking to him.

He was a very lucky man. He took that look and that love with him into his new existence. That's all the ammunition he will need to deal with his new situation.

Cori is loved and appreciated and respected deeply. Always has been. Always will be.

Sarge was an amazing man.

Cori is an amazing woman.

Carol and I love you deeply, Cori.