Dear Lucille,
My name is Richard Dassow. I am the husband of Naomi Koerwitz Dassow—the young nurse you knew as Naomi Koerwitz when the two of you lived and worked together in Buckhorn, Kentucky, many years ago.
I am writing simply to say thank you.
For those few special years you and Naomi shared not only your work at the Buckhorn Clinic but also your daily lives together. You lived in the same home, served patients at the clinic, and reached out to people living throughout the surrounding mountains and hollers. I can only imagine the experiences you shared, the people you helped, the prayers you prayed, and the conversations you had at the end of a long day.
I am enclosing some old photographs of you and Naomi from those years. Perhaps they will bring back a memory or two and remind you of the life you shared in Buckhorn. But if you do not remember the people, places, or events in the pictures, that is perfectly all right. The photographs still tell part of a beautiful story—a story of two young women living, working, and serving the Lord together.
Thank you for being Naomi’s friend, for sharing your life and faith with her, and for serving alongside her. Those years in Buckhorn were an important and formative chapter in Naomi’s life.
Naomi and I met after her time in Buckhorn, so I did not know the young Naomi whom you knew. But throughout our forty-five years of marriage, I was blessed by the woman she had become—her compassion, her faith in Jesus, her love for people, and her willingness to serve wherever God placed her.
I believe you helped shape those qualities in her. Your influence continued through Naomi into our marriage, our family, and the many people she later served.
Naomi went home to be with the Lord on November 8, 2024. I miss her more than words can express, but I am thankful for the assurance that she is with Jesus and that we will meet again.
I often think about that grand reunion in heaven. I look forward to being reunited with Naomi—and, whether we meet here on earth or for the first time in heaven, I look forward to meeting you too. What a wonderful day it will be when we are together with Naomi in the presence of Jesus. Perhaps then we can talk about those special years you and Naomi shared in Buckhorn.
Lucille, you will always have a special place in Naomi’s story and in my heart. Thank you for loving Jesus, loving people, and being such an important part of Naomi’s life.
May God bless you and surround you with His peace and love.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Richard Dassow
Naomi’s husband
