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The Widow Next Door
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According to author Mary Lee Robinson, 50% of happily married couples will become The Widow or Widower Next Door. Mary Lee joined that 50% in February 2013.Her husband suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage and was gone at age 63. She hit the wall of loneliness and grieving at 90 mph. It was startling to learn that most people don’t have the faintest idea what to do for the bereaved.

It was also evident to her that she was going to have to build her own life raft and she started an online widow and widowers club. The club offered a variety of events and activities in the area with others who were suddenly alone. Within a year, in a town of 30,000 residents, they had 170 members. That should speak volumes about an unmet need.

Mary and 25 other members of the club shared their stories in The Widow or Widower Next Door, the only book we know of, about losing a mate in today’s world that is authored by a group of “wids."
Episode Segments:
 
Don't Box Me In: Mary Lee Robinson
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Guest(s) Appearing on this Episode
Mary Lee Robinson
Mary Lee Robinson was widowed suddenly in early 2013. Finding few social outlets and resources after grief counseling, she founded a social club for widows and widowers in her area that grew to 170 members in a year. Next, she decided to gather a group of twenty five widows and widowers and write about their experiences. The book was completed in 10 months, no easy feat with so many authors.

She has recently become a Certified Grief Coach, by the American Association of Christian Counselors, to help guide her in her writing. It is also the hope of Mary Lee and the other twenty five storytellers that she will be able to use a portion of the proceeds of the book to establish additional social clubs around the country for widows and widowers.

She lives in the Low Country Region of the Carolinas with her dogs, a Doxie and a Rottie. This is her first book, in collaboration with the 25 widows and widowers, or “storytellers”. She is already planning a follow up book Finding Our Footing which will also be a collection of stories told by widows and widowers.


Mary's Website