02/07/2023
My wife Dana Vallery Belton was laid to rest on the morning of July 1st. It was a very small ceremony per her wishes. For all of those who were unable to attend but wanted to show their love, support, and affection to her at that time, I have decided to share the eulogy that I wrote for her here so that it may help some of those still feeling the great loss of her passing. The incredible outpouring of love and support from friends and family have been pivotal in helping me through this mourning process and I can't express enough the gratitude I feel to everyone. Thank you all so very much. The eulogy is as follows.
When Dana and I started dating, one of the things we did was send songs and music videos to each other. Partly to share bits of our personality with the other and partly to express our feelings for each other. One of the songs that resonated with us was Alice Cooper's "You and Me". The lines "You and me ain't no movie stars; what we are is what we are; We share a bed, some lovin, and tv; And that's enough for a workin man". That's how I felt about Dana, she didn't need to a movie star, model, or princess for my love and affection. I loved her just the way she was. I know she loved me more than the world itself, but I don't think she could accept that so many people felt that way about her. So many of her friends, family, and even acquaintances loved her dearly and even considered her their best friend. She touched so many people's hearts just by being herself. She was quick to lend an ear or shoulder for someone in need. She would drop everything to help someone if they were sick or needed to go to the hospital. Then when we got into the rescue world that compassion expanded even more to the hapless overpopulation of animals in our area and beyond. Because of her ability to network and make lasting connections with people we were able in the short 2.5yrs of transporting help save over 4000 dogs, cats, and one potbellied pig. As much as she was troubled with anxiety and self-doubt, she was able to overcome those feelings to help thousands of animals and impact unknown multiple times that of people's hearts who welcomed those animals into their homes as new family members. Many, many people across the south, up the east coast, the midwest, and even Canada had their live impacted by the selfless actions of a woman that they will probably never know. I'm not sure if she realized that, I had a part in that and it's hard for me to wrap my head around. Dana had a huge heart and loved hard, but it was hard for her to accept that others felt the same way about her. She spread that love and care around to everyone else but herself. That's what made Dana, Dana. The day Dana passed I heard an old song by Van Morrison for the 1st time called "Dweller on the Threshold". It made me feel my grief even more because I saw that in Dana. She spent a lot of time in her head dwelling on that threshold between light and darkness. She had so much light to shed on others but couldn't accept that others were shedding their light on her. All I can hope and pray for now that she has crossed that eternal threshold is that she is able to accept all the love and affection that so many people felt for her. She was loved, admired, and will be forever missed.
