Tragedy in my life

[RogerDuke]

It's 3:20 AM as I type this. No sleep for me tonight. My only child was killed in a car accident just a few hours ago. This is truly the worst thing that has ever happened to me. She had just bought her first house and had only lived in it a week. She was only a few hundred feet from pulling in the driveway when a young man in a pick up truck came racing from the other direction passing 2 cars in a no passing zone and hit her head on. He wasnt hurt bad and got out of the truck before it exploded. She wasn't killed instantly but died before right after the ambulance arrived. My life has been turned upside down. 

[HossC]

I'm so sorry to read this news, Roger.

I've literally just read a message from a friend of mine who lost a close friend over night, and that's just three weeks after she buried her mother. I obviously never knew your daughter, but you've shared various stories about meeting her over the years, so I feel like I know a bit about her. You'll be in my thoughts.

[Garrett Duke]

Roger, I am so sorry to hear about your daughter. My heart shatters for her, you, and your family as you are going through this. Sending hugs and prayers your way.  

[Hobie Hartkins]

Roger, I'm so very sorry to hear this! Words escape me! Please feel the love, concern and care coming to you from all of us! WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!  You  have my number and if you want to call, I'm here for you. If I'm not here PLEASE....leave a message and I will call you back as soon as I get it! You have my heart!!  I'm so sorry!

[RogerDuke]

Thank you everybody. Just to clarify, I have 2 step daughters so have also written about them. But this was my only biological child. I never (or rarely) add the word "step" when talking about my step daughters so I'm sure it's a bit confusing. 

Today was my first full day without my baby. I will miss her always. It will be a long time until the days get better but it will happen. I probably won't talk about it a lot longer.....even though I'm sure you folks wouldn't mind......

.....This is a place I want to come to be happy and not sad and Dukes always makes me happy....except when one of the stars dies. And my family here always makes me happy too. Still, I might mention it one or 2 times here just for therapy. It's comforting to know we love each other so much here. 

[Hobie Hartkins]

16 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

Today was my first full day without my baby. I will miss her always. It will be a long time until the days get better but it will happen. I probably won't talk about it a lot longer.....even though I'm sure you folks wouldn't mind......

We don't mind at all! You talk about it as little or as much as you want! WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

[RogerDuke]

Thanks Hobie. Made all the arrangements today. Lots of emotional break downs behind me and many more ahead. 

[RogerDuke]

I'll be out of commission for a bit. Catch you folks in 2 or 3 days.

[Garrett Duke]

On 7/27/2023 at 9:17 AM, RogerDuke said:

I'll be out of commission for a bit. Catch you folks in 2 or 3 days.

Sending hugs and prayers your way Roger. Please take care of yourself. 

[Hobie Hartkins]

We're here for you Cousin and you just remember, you pm me anytime you want and I will ALWAYS have time for you!

[RogerDuke]

All of the calling hours and funeral and all the craziness of such tragedies is over and now the long term difficult stuff begins. I'll never heal but have to find some kind of happiness in the future. She would want that. 

[Hobie Hartkins]

You'll heal cousin but you will always have a tender spot.  I've got a HUGE old country  family, so I've been through this, including with my brother.  Please feel the love and strength being sent to you through your Hazzard family, as  well as the family you have there with you! We're ALL here for you!   NO EXPIRATION DATE!

Edited July 31, 2023 by Hobie Hartkins

[RogerDuke]

Thanks for all the love and support everybody. The HazzardNet is normally such a fun place and I felt bad about injecting this into it but I needed all the support I can get.....and folks here have always been like family. I have so much help from others that I would prefer to wrap this thread up so I can return to normalcy here on the HN. Of course real life will never be normal. I'll never heal. Normally popping a Dukes episode in fixes everything but not this time. But it certainly can be a small part of the therapy I'll need. Thanks again. I love you folks. ❤ 

[Hobie Hartkins]

11 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

Thanks for all the love and support everybody. The HazzardNet is normally such a fun place and I felt bad about injecting this into it but I needed all the support I can get.....and folks here have always been like family. I have so much help from others that I would prefer to wrap this thread up so I can return to normalcy here on the HN. Of course real life will never be normal. I'll never heal. Normally popping a Dukes episode in fixes everything but not this time. But it certainly can be a small part of the therapy I'll need. Thanks again. I love you folks. ❤ 

NO!! You don't need to feel bad about anything!! We're here for you and if  you write on here every day.....SO BE IT!! ( That might even help you and as friends/family/cousins...we will understand!)  And YES!!! Life WILL be normal again! It will be a NEW normal! You know what your daughter would say and how she would want you to react!  As I've said, you WILL heal....but there will always be a tender spot. If you need to talk pm me and we'll set up a phone meeting. We love you too!! ( you're a pretty good guy....I mean pretty good, considering you don't own a car lot or that you're not the town drunk!   )

[HossC]

Roger, I'm sure the feelings will come to you in waves. My friend who lost her mother recently suddenly got hit with the realization that she'd never see her mother again about a week ago. Another friend of mine lost her father around the same time. I bumped into her earlier for the first time in a couple of weeks, and she's still on an emotional roller-coaster going back and forth across the country sorting things out.

If you want to wrap up this thread, that's for you to decide, but no one will complain if you want to keep posting. HNet is generally a happy place where we come to escape the troubles of the world, but it also has some nooks and crannies for topics like this.

[Meadowmufn]

On 7/23/2023 at 1:25 AM, RogerDuke said:

It's 3:20 AM as I type this. No sleep for me tonight. My only child was killed in a car accident just a few hours ago. This is truly the worst thing that has ever happened to me. She had just bought her first house and had only lived in it a week. She was only a few hundred feet from pulling in the driveway when a young man in a pick up truck came racing from the other direction passing 2 cars in a no passing zone and hit her head on. He wasnt hurt bad and got out of the truck before it exploded. She wasn't killed instantly but died before right after the ambulance arrived. My life has been turned upside down. 

Roger, I am so sorry to hear this. No parent should have to bury their child. My thoughts and prayers are with you. We're here for you if you need to talk, either in public or private. Sending virtual hugs.

[Meadowmufn]

16 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

Thanks for all the love and support everybody. The HazzardNet is normally such a fun place and I felt bad about injecting this into it but I needed all the support I can get.....and folks here have always been like family. I have so much help from others that I would prefer to wrap this thread up so I can return to normalcy here on the HN. Of course real life will never be normal. I'll never heal. Normally popping a Dukes episode in fixes everything but not this time. But it certainly can be a small part of the therapy I'll need. Thanks again. I love you folks. ❤ 

Don't feel bad about it. Not everything is perfect in Hazzard and they occasionally had to tackle tough stuff. So it is here as well. You do what you feel you need to do, whether it's talk or wrap this thread up. Believe me, everyone will understand.

[RogerDuke]

4 hours ago, HossC said:

Roger, I'm sure the feelings will come to you in waves. My friend who lost her mother recently suddenly got hit with the realization that she'd never see her mother again about a week ago. 

Weird that you should say that. Lately that has been the toughest part, forgetting she is gone and then getting smacked down when I realize she is.

Last night we got a call and I looked at the display screen without my glasses and mistakenly thought I saw her name on it. I immediately was excited thinking I was going to talk to her and then it hit me that she couldn't be calling. I fell right to the floor crying. And then there are the times I see something and think to myself  "I have to get a picture of that and send to her."

[RogerDuke]

8 minutes ago, Meadowmufn said:

Don't feel bad about it. Not everything is perfect in Hazzard and they occasionally had to tackle tough stuff. So it is here as well. You do what you feel you need to do, whether it's talk or wrap this thread up. Believe me, everyone will understand.

Thanks MM. One thing I love about Dukes is that death was rare on the show. Even an episode like RIP Henry Flatt featured a live guy. And when Rosco thought the Duke boys drowned following a chase, they managed to fool everybody and show up at the farm again. And thank goodness Artie Bender is doing just fine.

That's why I was never a fan of the reunion shows. Death is no fun so there is no place for it in a county like Hazzard. That's probably why there was little mention of Bo, Luke and Daisy's parents....only once as I recall....Ran moonshine with Enos's daddy. They also mentioned when they came to live with Jesse....but even then they gave no details about their parents. Anybody think of any more?

[Hobie Hartkins]

2 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

Thanks MM. One thing I love about Dukes is that death was rare on the show. Even an episode like RIP Henry Flatt featured a live guy. And when Rosco thought the Duke boys drowned following a chase, they managed to fool everybody and show up at the farm again. And thank goodness Artie Bender is doing just fine.

That's why I was never a fan of the reunion shows. Death is no fun so there is no place for it in a county like Hazzard. That's probably why there was little mention of Bo, Luke and Daisy's parents....only once as I recall....Ran moonshine with Enos's daddy. They also mentioned when they came to live with Jesse....but even then they gave no details about their parents. Anybody think of any more?

Remember when the Dukes went to the " Pitch Fork Picaso's"   ( Artie Bender) cabin and Jesse said that was the first time, he could remember no smoke coming out of the chimney?

[Boss JD Hogg]

Roger,  I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter.  I apologize for not seeing your post sooner.  I haven't been checking the main page.  I've also been distracted this past few weeks.  I found out 2 friends passed away on July 6th and July 9th.  This is not about me. 

Your daughter, you and your family are in my prayers.  You post whatever you feel like saying.  We are all family and are here for you.  We are here for you if you need to talk.  We love you cuz!  

Edited August 3, 2023 by Boss JD Hogg

[Skipper Duke]

21 hours ago, RogerDuke said:

Thanks MM. One thing I love about Dukes is that death was rare on the show. Even an episode like RIP Henry Flatt featured a live guy. And when Rosco thought the Duke boys drowned following a chase, they managed to fool everybody and show up at the farm again. And thank goodness Artie Bender is doing just fine.

That's why I was never a fan of the reunion shows. Death is no fun so there is no place for it in a county like Hazzard. That's probably why there was little mention of Bo, Luke and Daisy's parents....only once as I recall....Ran moonshine with Enos's daddy. They also mentioned when they came to live with Jesse....but even then they gave no details about their parents. Anybody think of any more?

Cousin Roger... Yeah. Bo and Luke mention when their folks passed on, in Season 6 A Boy's Best Friend. Little Terry Lee is so sad and down from losing his folks, that conversation goes like this. Bo:"Kinda brings you back, don't it Luke?" Luke:"Some how, I don't remember bein' quite that sad." Bo:"Shoot, we were awful young when our folks passed on." Luke:"I guess it's 'cause I had you an' Daisy." Bo:"An' we all had Uncle Jesse." Luke:"We gotta count our blessings." Bo:"That we do."

[RogerDuke]

Thanks Skipper! I knew I could count on you to remember the ep! 

[RogerDuke]

12 hours ago, Boss JD Hogg said:

Roger,  I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your daughter.  I apologize for not seeing your post sooner.  I haven't been checking the main page.  I've also been distracted this past few weeks.  I found out 2 friends passed away on July 6th and July 9th.  This is not about me. 

Your daughter, you and your family are in my prayers.  You post whatever you feel like saying.  We are all family and are here for you.  We are here for you if you need to talk.  We love you cuz!  

Thanks so much. This place really is a family thanks to people like you.

[Skipper Duke]

14 minutes ago, RogerDuke said:

Thanks Skipper! I knew I could count on you to remember the ep! 

I'm outta reactions... So ❤️