Pres Herbert

The very first time my husband, Preston Pres) Herbert caught a glimpse of Sanibel, he knew he had found the "place" where his soul belonged. It was "love" at first sight! There was nothing about Sanibel that he did not like. Even the 90 degreee hot and humid weather did not deter him. If anyone complained about it, he'd say, "yea, isn't it great?"

On our very first day on Sanibel, he began to "formulate" his plan for moving here. On our second day on Sanibel we found a house in Shell Harbor, and the rest, as they say, is history.

It was not long before Pres joined "CROW" and the Conservation Foundation. He began reading the local newspaper and became fully immersed in all the "goings-on" of the island. He found his favorite spot for kayaking, riding his bike, walking on the beach, and (he would say, most importantly) buying his favorite banana split.

Over the next ten years, we exchanged one house for another (one with easy access to the Gulf), began looking at boats, and made plans for our move to our house on Sanibel. We walked the beach and talked about living here. We sat and watched the sunsets and dreamed of what was to be.

Finally, we were ready to make the move. We moved our belongs to Sanibel. Pres became a resident of Florida. It seemed we were finallygoing to live our dream.

And then, on August 13th, 2005, --the very day that Hurricane Charley hit, everything changed for us. Pres ended up in the emergency room that morning. After many tests, and weeks later, we learned that he had a brain tumor, a very aggressive form of brain cancer. Despite his characteristic determination to fight the cancer, and his refusal to believethat he would not survive, six months later, he lost his battle.

But I cannot dwell on the sadness of my husband's death -- because, he would not want me to. He would want me to write about how much he loved Sanibel, all the wonderful people who live and visit here, and what a special place it was to him. And most of all, he would say how "lucky" he was to have had the time he spent here.

I know that Pres would have supported the "Periwinkle Partnership" and the replanting of Periwinkle. He said, the first time he saw Sanibel after Hurricane Charley, "Don't worry, it will be back -- even better than before." I can not think of a better way to honor and remember him than to have a native plant garden and bench where others can come, sit, and enjoy his beloved Sanibel.

I am looking forward to the day when our two very young grandaughters can come and sit on the bench with me. I will tell them the story of a wonderful man. They will get to know him through me. And I will tell them about al the special things he loved about "his" Sanibel so that his love for Sanibel will be passed on to them. And that-- would make him smile.