Farewell to an Angel: It All Began in Old New Orleans

Farewell to an Angel gives the reader a personal view of the lives of a man and woman who were born, raised, worked, and found each other in the Crescent City. The man, John Hanson, was from the Carrollton neighborhood. The woman, Patty Callegan, was from the French Quarter. Their parents had only grammar school educations. They were poor, but not destitute. They always managed to shelter, clothe, and feed their families by dint of hard work. After starting on their memoirs, John had more time to work on his as Patty was simultaneously fighting cancer. Much of his memoirs are Patty's, however, since they were inseparable from their meeting in 1966 until Patty's death in 2014. A registered nurse and ever a patient advocate, Patty wrote only briefly of her life before nursing and marriage and only as an introduction to an exhaustive guide for cancer patients. These memoirs give the reader a unique view of 20th century America. The experiences of John and Patty are like no other. They give the ordinary person's perspective on three generations of cultural and scientific changes. Given their start in life, who could have predicted that George Halas would be John's chauffeur or Patty would serve as a private nurse to the Duke of Windsor and the King of Greece? Their paths crossed those of many hall-of-fame level individuals from the worlds of education, medicine, religion, business, sports, and politics. Yet, they were never enamored of the rich and famous and certainly never joined their ranks. The focus of their love was on one another and their students and patients. Their story will at times evoke both tears and laughter. Overall, it will edify.