The long good-bye was how a relative had referred to her passing. She would have been 93 this summer and I thought that it had not been that long ago when I sat with her on the porch of the assisted living residence where she was staying.

But it was a while ago, probably four years or so, when we looked out at the Long Island Sound waves that were breaking softly on the beach just across the road. We talked about our families, about the coolness in the air, about some of our favorite...