Linda Miller
“We were so young, just country sweethearts” recalls Robin with a faraway look in her eyes. Vernon Kently Clark and Robin Pearson were barely sixteen when they met at the small Pentecostal Church of Oak Grove, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, in 1968. Two years later, three days before Kent’s nineteenth birthday, they tied the knot, beginning a long and loving marriage of almost forty-nine years. Before long, children, Kent Jr. and Kimberly were born.
Vernon, called Kent, by family and friends made it a lifelong goal to extend a helping hand to others. He earned the nickname “Superman.” His giving spirit prompted him to stop and fix flat tires for strangers, flip burgers at church, care for his elderly parents, and keep a constant supply of red sugar water for the tiniest of flying creatures, the hummingbird. Robin’s superman didn’t fly but he was still her super husband–her “Superman,” her love.
The COVID outbreak hit hard in 2020. Mindful of Robin’s autoimmune disorder, Kent took a month-long medical leave from Enovations. The month was a mini-honeymoon filled with homey tasks like planting flowers, cutting down tree limbs, and sitting on the front porch drinking iced tea, and watching hummingbirds flutter around red feeders.
Kent returned to work on May 1st wearing gloves and a mask every day. All was well, until the end of July when Kent experienced a high fever and difficulty breathing. Likewise, Robin experienced body aches and pure exhaustion. Both tested positive for COVID. By August 3rd Robin was worried, very worried. She took Kent to the Emergency Room where he was treated and released.
By Monday, August 10th Robin and Kent’s severe symptoms prompted Robin to call ambulances, one for her and the other for Kent. She told him, “Babe, we need to go, we need to get meds to get through this.” Once in the ER, staff prepared an ICU room for Kent. Throughout the ordeal, the couple prayed, believing God for help and healing. Miraculously, Robin was allowed to stay with Kent while they waited.
She felt confident Kent was in good hands and expected him to be released. “I was in good spirits,” says Robin, after talking to the doctor. Kent was a good candidate for plasma antibody treatment along with other medications. I felt he was safe and would be okay,”
Kent was ready to have immunotherapy the next day. Around 11 am, Robin received a call from the doctor. Assuming Kent’s doctor called to explain the procedure, Robin answered the call with no worries. She was unprepared to hear the next words.
“Kent had a cardiac arrest. We brought him back but lost him again.”
Robin felt weak in the knees as her mind refused to grasp the words, “Kent was gone. My heart broke in two. I felt numb, in a daze. Is this real? My Kent, my husband—gone?”
Months later, Robin reflects on the greatest loss of her life and her husband’s last moments. “I feel Kent had a glimpse of heaven and chose to go on to his heavenly home. He was sick for twelve days and in the hospital for three nights. He didn’t suffer for months and didn’t have long-term effects from this horrid virus. I was not prepared to say goodbye and I wasn’t with him when he left this life. I will always wonder why I wasn’t there with him. I think God protected me from the memory of seeing him leave this earthly life. We honored Kent with a balloon release on our church grounds. I released the pain, heartache, and misery of losing my best friend and sweetheart. I will never forget what a wonderful guy he was.”
Robin says “These last months I’ve walked to the best of my ability this new walk. It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions, waves of grief coming and going. I have my sweet memories. A number of years ago, Kent told me, ‘I have to go to heaven before you. I can’t live without you. You will be sad, but you will be fine.’”
Today, Robin honors their life together by showing God’s love to others. She hears Kent saying, “Show God’s love.”
“I know, I am blessed to be a blessing,” says Robin.
Kent’s homegoing changed everything in life. “Everything is different—shopping is different, eating is different, relaxing is different. It is heartbreaking to lose your sweetheart. When you’re together that long it’s not your life, it’s a together life. That’s why it’s so hard to take steps alone. It’s that they are not walking with you by your side. But they will never leave your heart.”
“Behold I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
