Wave of emotions part of Coblentz’ ribbon cutting ceremony at Relay for Life

Elaine Coblentz wasn’t supposed to be there.A longtime librarian at Millersburg Elementary, she was supposed to be living her retirement years in peace and joy with her husband, Perry, spending time in the flower beds, reading and traveling together.No, Elaine Coblentz most definitely was not supposed to be there.But yet she was there, on the evening of June 17, at the West Holmes High School Stadium, wielding a pair of scissors, given the honor of cutting the ribbon for the Holmes County Relay for Life ceremonial Survivor’s Lap march around the track.She was there because her husband, Perry, had succumbed to cancer on March 6, after being diagnosed in October of 2010. Perry was supposed to be the one cutting the ribbon, his loving wife beside him, but as is the case with cancer, it took him far too soon. In an unprecedented move, Relay committee members decided that, rather than replace Perry with another cancer survivor, they would pull a first, and allow a spouse to do the honor of kicking off the Relay walk.“The original plans had been for Perry to do the honor,” said Coblentz. “He didn’t survive here on earth, but he did survive in Heaven. He is a survivor there now. (Committee member) Heidi Bowman asked me if I would do it in Perry’s honor, and I told her it might be hard, but I would.”Elaine Coblentz wasn’t supposed to be there, but there she was, the focal point of the crowd’s attention as she grasped the scissors and performed a deed she never dreamed she would be doing. Yet, despite the grief and sorrow, Coblentz realizes that she has been fortunate to have the opportunity to spend her adult life with her best friend, and she feels fortunate to have family and friends around her to help her through.“I’ve been blessed in so many ways,” said Coblentz. “I have so many friends and family here, and the staff at Millersburg is amazing, because many of them still consider me staff there. A lot of them came out to support me, which is neat.”While family and friends gathered around Coblentz as she cut the ceremonial ribbon, she said that the main reason she has been able to deal with the grief of losing her husband is through her faith.“I don’t know how people without the Lord can make it through something like this,” said Coblentz. “If you don’t have that to cling to and fall back on when the going gets tough, I don’t know how you could deal with it. Coblentz’ son, Brian, recently told his mother that grief was much like the ocean waves, which ebb and flow, washing over the shore, then flowing out, only to come back again later.She said her son hit the nail on the head when it comes to dealing with grief, and that has helped her deal with the process.“He was right,” said Coblentz. “You’ll be all right one moment, then all of a sudden the grief just washes over you like a wave hitting you. You fall down, you cry, but then you move on, because you have to make a new life.”Coblentz was honored and thrilled to be chosen as the ribbon cutter, and said that despite her loss, seeing all of the purple shirts representing the cancer survivors was very uplifting. “Seeing all of this purple of the survivors is a real blessing to me, because it means that we are making progress in the fight against cancer,” said Coblentz. “I am looking forward to being a part of a team next year. I have friends who are dealing with cancer. This is a time that we can get together and remember and honor Perry and those who have passed away, as well as celebrate with those here who are winning the fight against cancer.”