Letters to the Dead: Things I Wish I'd Said. Ann Palmer
Helen Coffey – My Gossip Column Writer Friend
To My Friend, Mary, Can I Comfort You?
To Jack Kogel – My Alcoholic Last Husband
To My Father – Did We Communicate?
Dr. Robert E. Goodrich – Early Influence By A Minister
To My Darling Daughter, Debbie – Why September?
Letters to the Dead
Things I Wish
I’d Said
by
Ann Palmer
CCB Publishing
British Columbia, Canada
Letters to the Dead: Things I Wish I’d Said
Copyright ©2004, 2014 by Ann Palmer
ISBN-13 978-1-77143-126-2
Second Edition
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Palmer, Ann, 1931-, author
Letters to the dead : things I wish I’d said / by Ann Palmer. – Second edition.
Issued in electronic format.
ISBN 978-1-77143-126-2 (pdf)
Additional cataloguing data available from Library and Archives Canada
Previously published in print format by PublishAmerica.
Extreme care has been taken by the author to ensure that all information presented in this book is accurate and up to date at the time of publishing. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Additionally, neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission from the publisher.
Publisher:
CCB Publishing
British Columbia, Canada
Acknowledgements
My appreciation goes to every person who provided me with the material for Letters to the Dead: Things I Wish I’d Said. Gratitude abounds for the lessons learned through my experience with each person.
As a young girl in a small Texas town I could never dream or imagine that one day I would work with those famous stars I watched in the movies every weekend.
With gratitude I wish to acknowledge the readers, with the hope that you, too, will identify with my experiences as your own. I actually experienced all these celebrities on a very personal level and that is what I want you to also feel for yourself.
At the time, struggling with my career, small parts were never enough. I chose not to ask for autographed photos for myself assuming I would be a star with them one day.
No – my Hollywood career never progressed the way I thought destiny meant it to be. As I review my life today, I realize the emotional – spiritual wealth I gleaned has far more value than fame or material wealth – a hard lesson learned in our way of life. Had it not been for life’s joys and chaos, I would not have evolved spiritually as far as I have with a very deep understanding of the true meaning of life. My greatest defeats and trials have been my greatest achievements. And, no – I never did walk on stage to accept my Academy Award!
Last but not least, I acknowledge, with gratitude, my publishers for believing in my work and opening the printed-word-door so that I may share these experiences with you now.
Lovingly,
Ann Palmer
Preface
With loving respect and a desire to pay homage to many who have passed on and perhaps help keep their personalities, talents alive in the public minds, I write letters to the following celebrities and special people in my life:
Orson Welles, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bill Bryant, Howard Hawks, Robert Mitchum, David Janssen, Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Steve McQueen, Natalie Wood, Milton Krasner, Walter Matthau, Ray Walston, Rock Hudson, Cornel Wilde, Gardner McKay, Fred Holliday, John Carroll, Rex Harrison, Jessica Tandy & Hume Cronin, Richard Burton, Desmond Llewelyn, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Leon Shamroy, Stuart Lyons, Joan Jones, Arthur Shields, Harry Guardino, Nick Colasanto, Vince Edwards, Red Skelton, Bob Hope, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Crawford, Charles Bronson, Leon Mirell, Rick Jason, Richard E. Lyons, John Bernardino, Norma Connolly, Emily McLaughlin, David Lewis
Family and Others :
Richard Castle, Helen Coffey, Mary, Jack Kogel, My Father, My Mother, Dr. Robert E. Goodrich, My Daughter Debbie
To the Reader
Dear Reader,
Obviously, YOU are not dead or you wouldn’t be reading this now! First off – I am not a trained literary writer. Reading books on writing terrify me, so much so that I have hesitated to submit my written materials for years. Writers seem so well prepared academically, degrees et al, on subjects from many different prospective. If the words “leaning disability” had been invented in my childhood I would qualify. I hated reading. Now I know why. I never remember what I read; otherwise I would be brilliant today with all I have read the last quarter of a century. People don’t understand this. What is simple for others seems impossible for me, and yet, God gifted me with wisdom and deep level of intelligence not academic capability. He/She did not gift me with spelling or grammatical ability either. If the computer does not catch it, I certainly don’t! For required reading