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Guest Columns

What to Say, or Not Say to a New Widower

July 26, 2024 by Fred Colby

Friends and family are often afraid to speak with a new widower… and with good reason as we are frequently emotionally traumatized after losing our wives The following summarizes advice I shared during some recent radio interviews. Share this with others to help… Read More

Questions About New Relationships – Part 2

July 12, 2024 by Fred Colby

Earlier this year a therapist and doctoral student, who works with Couples in Conflict Management, contacted me with questions she encountered in conversations with women dating widowers. These questions deal with the challenges faced by a woman trying to understand a widower’s ongoing relationship with his deceased wife. This is… Read More

Questions About New Relationships – Part 1

June 25, 2024 by Fred Colby

Earlier this year a therapist and doctoral student, who works with Couples in Conflict Management, contacted me with questions she encountered in conversations with women dating widowers. These questions deal with the challenges faced by a woman trying to understand a widower’s ongoing relationship with his deceased wife. This is… Read More

Why Are We So Damned Lonely?

May 31, 2024 by Fred Colby

A friend who recently lost his wife and I were commiserating recently over how damned lonely we were soon after losing our wives. This is despite our backgrounds which included interacting with hundreds (if not thousands) of people yearly. And even though we had: Several close married friends Family and… Read More

Fred Colby On How A Widower Handles His Grieving Process

May 17, 2024 by Fred Colby

Fred Colby recently appeared on Widowhood – Real Talk with Tina. It was a thorough and thoughtful discussion of many issues important to widowers. After losing her husband to a sudden heart attack in 2017, Tina Fornwald created this platform for other widows and widowers to cope with their grief… Read More

YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING

May 3, 2024 by Fred Colby

I certainly don’t know everything! And… more than likely, neither do you. One of the biggest shocks upon entering deep grieving as a widower is the realization of how ill-prepared we are to deal with it… much less survive it! And yet, widowers will often say things like: I… Read More

Golden Bachelor Marriage Ends Quickly – Why?

April 19, 2024 by Fred Colby

Recent headlines about the very brief three-month marriage of Widower Gerry Turner (the first Golden Bachelor) and Theresa Nist coming to an end raise some interesting questions. The pace of the Golden Bachelor program is frenetic. It expects a Bachelor to identify, court, and then marry a new bride… Read More

Sex and the Widower

April 6, 2024 by Fred Colby

Sex is a topic that we widowers often have difficulty discussing with each other, much less with friends, family, or even therapists. And yet, it needs to be addressed. Why? Because so many of us have so much trouble dealing with the topic. It does not matter whether you are… Read More

What can Matt and Ben teach widowers?

March 20, 2024 by Fred Colby

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck seem an unlikely pair to be teaching Widowers how to heal and regain purpose and joy in their lives. But in fact, they are a great example for us to follow. As I have mentioned before, when a husband dies his wife will likely be… Read More

OVERCOMING LONELINESS AND SUICIDAL THOUGHTS

February 11, 2024 by Fred Colby

I, and many others who write about the widower experience, often speak of loneliness. Paired with the pain of our grieving, loneliness is perhaps the most threatening challenge we face. Why? Because it often builds upon our grief and spreads its seeds of depression, self-doubts, and regrets. This often leads… Read More