1985
(Four girls singing El Shaddai by Amy Grant in back seat of parents' car)
"You girls sound like four angels singing!" praised the girl's mother.
And just like that, the Four Angels were born.
It all started with a phone call.
"Hi, I'm Erica, and we're going to be roommates.....(90 minutes later)....Look forward to meeting you in person!"
Fast-forward to August 1984.
I arrived first, and claimed 'my spot', then Kristy arrived and chose a bed on the opposite side. Later that afternoon, Enette arrived and claimed the bed on Kristy's side, then left to help her sister move in to her dorm at IU. Kris and I attended the BTS dance and met two guys from Harrison Hall, then returned to our room.
The next day, Kristy's friend Ginny moved in on the opposite side of the dorm, then Erica arrived and moved in on my side of the room. Enette arrived soon after, and she and Erica immediately 'clicked'.
We all 'clicked' as roommates, though Kris spent a lot of her time with her HS friend Ginny. We went to meals together, watched the same soap operas, and commiserated over boys.
Enette had stopped going to classes by March, and did not return the following year. A new girl, Jill, moved into our dorm, but within a month, it was clear she wasn't a good 'fit'. Erica had met Billie Jo in one of her classes, and when it was revealed Billie was unhappy with her living arrangements, and we were looking for a new roomie, the switch was made.
Billie, Erica, and I were Social Work majors; Kris was Early Childhood Ed.
Kris had learning issues and didn't return after the 2nd year. I graduated Dec 1986 and moved onto Ball State; Erica graduated six months later and roomed with me. Billie had switched her major to Sports Health, but didn't return after 1987.
We all kept in touch through me.
Relationships:
I was close to all three; Billie and Erica had a very close relationship, with Billie sometimes being a 'Mother Hen' to all of us (Erica actually had that title, ha ha!)
Erica and I had bonded in April 1985 when we dated a pair of friends, and spent two wonderful weeks with them.
Billie had a current b/f she was trying to unload, and encouraged him to pursue me. We had an interesting 6 mo relationship, with me holding him at arm's length, knowing that all Billie had to do was snap her fingers and he'd go running back to her. I turned out to be wrong; he actually fell for another girl who was a fellow camp counselor at MDA camp, then dated Kris for about a year.
When he and I officially broke up over him choosing the other girl over me by this time, Kris was the one who let me sob on her shoulder and fed me ice cream..
In 1988, Billie actually came out over the phone to Erica and I. Erica's reaction? "Did you know this when we roomed together?" ("No!) Mine was, "Never make a pass at me and we'll be fine." ("It's okay; I know you're straight.")
I graduated from Ball State in late July 1989 and threw myself a party. I drove to Pendleton and grabbed Erica, then we went to Indianapolis, grabbed Kris, and went first to the Olive Garden for dinner (meeting a cute waiter who invited us to The Vogue for Quarter Beer Night), then to the mall, and then to the bar. Ended up getting caught in the rain at 2am and crashing at Kristy's house, surprising her parents the next morning when we all trooped downstairs!
Kristy was the first to get married in July 1989. Ginny was her Matron of Honor (she eloped with her b/f the day before; I joked this bumped me from Bridesmaid to Maid of Honor!) and I was a bridesmaid (the ONLY one who didn't have to have her dress altered!). I'd begun dating the groomsman whom I'd picked up at her wedding when the guy I was dating failed to show up, and was engaged by the time Erica's wedding the same year in September.
By 1990, I was being emotionally abused by this a$$hat, and ditched him, then ended up getting pregnant by MY now-current hubby. Three years later, Erica's firstborn and my secondborn were supposed to be born about a week apart....well, my daughter arrived three weeks early while hers cooked for two more weeks, and they ended up a month apart!
By now, Kris had divorced her husband; Billie was in a happy relationship and back in Evansville. In 2010, Billie announced she had breast cancer. Three years later, she told me she was tired of fighting it, then changed her mind. She would enter remission in 2014, but the cancer returned in 2017, this time in her spine and liver.
I should point out, Billie lost her mom in 2007 or 2008; I attended the funeral. Erica lost her parents, first her mom in 2012, then her dad two or three years later. I attended her mom's funeral, and even stayed over to help her the next day. Kristy's dad passed away in Nov 2018, and Erica and I both made the trip up for the funeral Mass. My father passed nearly a year later, with Erica coming up for the funeral. Kris was still heartbroken over her dad's passing and refused to come, but arrived for a visit after Christmas.
Angel One Joins Heaven
In 2019, Billie was living with her dad in a condo in Evansville, and Erica and I went down to see her. I'd also paid a visit earlier after being in town for a craft show, so I was familiar with her bald head and having to use a walker at times. COVID set in, and Billie had been moved to an assisted living facility. We kept in touch by phone and text messages.
In early 2023, a group text was set up between the four of us, and by Easter, greetings went out and was exchanged by only three of us. I wondered why Billie hadn't responded....then I saw a post from her SIL that she was in a coma. She passed away shortly after that. Erica and I drove down for the funeral and spoke about our friendship.
RIP Billie Jo Gilles, May 22, 1962-April 2023
About the same time, I discovered Kristy had moved in with her mother, having suffered some sort of mental breakdown. I visited them when I was in town for Indpls Christmas Show, and was shocked by Kristy's aging appearance. Her hair was white; she'd lost weight, and her autism was particularly noticeable.
****SIDE NOTE****
In 2007 or 2008, Kris had called me, saying she'd been diagnosed with Asperger's, and "I suppose you think of me differently."
"Not at all; this explains A LOT!"
************
Her mom explained that a bad break up had triggered something inside her, making her no longer able to cope with life. She would wash her hands and not know how to turn off the water. She'd lock the door to the bathroom and not know how to unlock it. Simply put, she could no longer be left alone.
I spent the night with her in 2024, in order to utilize her shower, and this past year, her mom reached out, saying they'd like to attend the Gift and Hobby Show. I sent them two free tickets, and was thrilled to see them both on Friday Nov 14th. Kris had gotten overheated and dizzy, so she spent 30 minutes sitting behind my table and drinking water, before feeling able to walk around again. Her mom took pictures of us, which I'm eternally grateful, since that's the last time I'll ever see her, hug her, or kiss her cheek again.
Mon Dec 1st
I was about an hour from clocking out at my Evening Job when my phone rang, and it was Kris's mom, saying she had sad news. When she found out I was at work, she told me to call when I got home. I speculated on everything from Kris passing, having an accident, her brother dying, the dog dying, or her mom having a terminal illness. An hour later I was shocked to learn that my friend of 41 years had indeed passed.
She'd moved into an apartment with another disabled lady and caregivers, and was having difficulty adjusting to the change. The caregiver reported Kris had taken her dog Mocha for a walk, then heard a thud outside the door. She opened it and found Kris on her back, unconscious and not breathing. She called 911, but they were unable to revive her. It will be maybe 2 weeks before the coroner's report. Her mom plans to hold a funeral Mass and bury her daughter in their family plot in Louisville, KY at a later date.
Her mom didn't know how to get a hold of Ginny, so I said I'd take care of it. I also notified Joe, the guy we passed around (and I stay in contact with....or I should say, HE stays in contact with ME!), Erica, and Kris's friend Noel, with whom she spent a lot of her free time with.
Now there are only two left....I turn 60 later this month, while Erica hits that milestone in May. Kris's birthday is July 3rd, same as my daughter's.
I've cried; I've held it together to notify everyone (as of this writing, Noel will be calling me when she gets off work later today). I'll make it Facebook Official after Noel's been told.
It's just hard to believe the woman I saw just two weeks ago is gone. That's a lot to process, and I look forward to hearing her official cause of death.
In the meantime, please keep her mother Judy and her younger brother Kasey in your prayers?
RIP Kristy Jill Corbett Wisely July 3, 1966-Dec 1, 2025
