Lost friends and Lasting Memories

Today I searched for an old girlfriend to see if I could learn something about her life. Rennea and I dated back in the late 60's in Grand Rapids, Michigan and in 1970 while I was living out in San Jose, California I convinced her to hitch a ride with my roomates and return with them from Michigan. She did, bringing with her a sense of humor and energy that I was missing in my life.
Rennea was 17 or so when I first met her. I was 21. She loved teasing me to loosen up when I was uptight. I was raised to never swear. I remember just about having a heart attack once when I heard my slightly drunk father say "Damn" (or maybe it was "Hell")as he gave a speech at a bowling banquet when I was probably 20.  That's an odd pairing; "bowling" and "banquet."
So Rennea knew this about my upbringing and used to stand behind people I was talking to and mouth the word "fuck, fuck, fuck"  She did it over and over again while I tried to remain composed and focused on the person in front of me.  She broke down that rigid wall of language that kept me away from people.
We had a lot of fun and she showed little reverence for fuddy duddies and those who thought they were better than us. I loved that about her. I guess she was a good role model for me.
So, she moved to California and I remember when I took her for a job interview at a JC Penney store in San Jose, Rennea insisted on spelling and signing her name with a lower case "r."  It was a time of rebellion. The woman interviewing her said it had to be capitalized. I don't remember who won that one, but Rennea did get the job.
Then I had to hitch hike back to Michigan to work for two weeks so we could pay the rent, and when I got back a few weeks later (after hitch hiking back) she had moved into a commune, put my money in the bank for safe keeping and was dating another guy. I moved in there for a short time. The money was still mine and came in handy. I liked her too much to feel really bad and we remained friends as I moved back to Michigan and she remained in California.
Years later I moved back to California. I was able to meet her husband Don and their little son Ethan on a later date when I was hitch-hiking from Southern California to Canada. 
There are bits and pieces here I'll share another time.

At one time I surprised her by learning where she worked in San Jose at a time I was attending a state conference for School Psychologists in the early 90's. I went into the Macy's store where she worked, spotted her at a perfume counter, and walked up asking "Do you have this in Purple?"  She looked up and was delighted to see me for the first time in 20 years. We chatted some before I had to return to attend workshops and she had to get back to work. That was the last time I saw her. 
Now today, I did a search for her on Facebook. I found her son Ethan, now 31, and wrote to him asking how she was. Then I did a search on Google and found her obituary. She died last July 21, 2009. She was born on August 31, 1949. I am so sad tonight.