C. Edward Butler was just your average attorney from New Shoreham, Rhode Island. He made a good living for his wife and soon to be only daughter, Edwina. Something big happened for Edward in 1959 when he took on a case for a small maritime company. Rhode Island Builders, a ship builder, fell prey to the bigger companies along the East Coast and found it difficult to compete. The owners of the company didn’t want their life’s work bankrupt, or their company purchased and dismantled leaving dozens of employees jobless. Edward saw this as an opportunity to make his mark and protect the small businessmen of his state. It would take over three years before he would win R.I.B. vs. Wellman, a ruling that would protect small companies from being swallowed up by the mega corporations who built their ships overseas. Not only did he score a big win for his friends at Rhode Island Builders, but he also made a name for himself as a litigator. Sweet success followed for decades.
In 1978 a young Edwina Butler left her home in Providence to attend Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire. Edwina knew she wanted to get into Harvard Law School after her undergraduate work, so she took the offer from Dartmouth, her father’s alma matter, along the way. Majoring in Political Science, Edwina rose to the top of each class she enrolled in. Dartmouth, mostly known for degrees in medicine, engineering, and the fine arts, had a relatively low enrollment in the Political Science program. There was, however, a young man named Michael Beckwith who climbed the ranks with Edwina, always falling a grade point behind. She found him charming and witty. He was more relaxed and somewhat giddy about life. The duo began their Senior year as lovers.
Edwina knew her father would love Michael, as he was passionate about his beliefs. The only drawback…he was from west Texas so Michael would just have to follow where her career led. He did. Both Edwina and Michael were accepted to Harvard Law School and moved into a tiny apartment paid for by C. Edward Butler. The couple were unstoppable. They often placed in the top of their classes each semester. Michael, a lover of English Literature, even wrote for Law Review.
In Edwina’s mind, the plan was always to go work for the Southern Poverty Law Center for one year and then return to Providence to work with her father at Butler-Solomon-Sprinehold. After graduating from Harvard, Michael moved to Providence immediately and began working for C. Edward’s firm. After two years the couple planned an elaborate wedding on the beach and spent two weeks basking in sunlight making a plan for the rest of their lives.
For Edwina, as each year passed, she became happier and happier. Madly in love with the law, and Michael. There were minor setbacks along with way. The death of their four parents took a toll. Both only children, and committed to their work, Michael and Edwina made the decision not to have a child. They had each other. Best friends, lovers, soul mates, partners in law. What more could anyone ask for?
Tragedy struck the couple in 2015 when Michael was killed in an automobile crash on his way home from court. It took hours to notify Edwina. When she heard the news, she fell to her knees, weeping as her mother had when C. Edward passed. Edwina would never be the same after Michael’s death. The law would never be the same.
As the years passed, Edwina became bitter and more steadfast in her pursuit of winning in the courtroom. The defendants were always her enemies. She was ruthless. Who could blame her? In 2021, things changed again for Edwina. Her focus was off. She began making mistakes. The kind of mistakes that an attorney shouldn’t make. She began losing more and more cases and letting her clients down. Her struggles became known all over Providence.
While most assumed grief had caught up with Edwina, it was something else. Something a little more permanent and without occasional relief. Edwina had three car accidents in one month. She got lost in her own neighborhood frequently. At the urging of her General Practitioner, an appointment was made with a Neurologist. An MRI showed no brain damage, but the specialist feared something else. Ater evaluation with a Neuropsychologist, the diagnosis was made. Edwina was devastated at the thought of the road ahead. She contemplated ending her own life, but her Catholic upbringing held strong. She wondered how she would manage a life with Alzheimer’s.
Edwina’s most trusted colleagues at the firm and a long-time assistant encouraged her to find the best memory care facility in the country and seek what would be her best chance at the final stages of her life. Edwina refused. She was determined to stay in control of her own life. She came to terms with the fact that she would never practice law again and needed to relocate to a slower paced environment. Her long-time colleague, Erin, began assisting her in a search for retirement facilities. Hundreds of cities and communities were rejected almost immediately. After reviewing old photos and personal items of Michael and Edwina’s past, Erin suggested a small village in Cape Celeste, Florida. It took some persuasion, but Edwina finally agreed to a visit.
The Celestial Shores Luxury Retirement Village at Cape Celeste, Florida was lovely. Erin was fond of the homes, services, and location. She urged Edwina to give it a try, and promised to help her relocate again if things didn’t work out. The two women met with Dr. Marlena Gardner, the Director of the Wellness Center at the village. They discussed the care that Edwina would need while maintaining as much independence as possible. Gardner assured the women they had chosen the right locale.
A home was purchased, and a home was sold. The brownstone back in Providence was now replaced with a pale green beach home with white trim overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Erin assisted Edwina with the management of her assets and became her Power of Attorney. Edwina’s life had been beautiful up to the point she lost Michael. She remembered looking into his eyes in a history class at Dartmouth and feeling a sensation like she had never felt before. Now, in her mind, love was over for good, and the rest would be sorrow and loneliness. Little did Edwina know what her journey at Celestial Shores would behold.
JustRobby 