Sunday, August 7, 2022
I started watching As The World Turns with my Daddy, who worked 2nd shift, so he was the one who was home with me during the day, when I was about 10 years old. "Kim Hughes" was always one of my favorite characters, I looked up to her. It was after watching the show for a couple of years that my mom told me that Kathryn was from Princeton, Illinois, which was where my mom and my brother were both born, and a town that was only 7 miles away from where we lived at the time. Mom and I always did our grocery shopping on Friday evenings, at a store called Eagles, which, at that time was located where the Princeton library is now located. One certain Friday evening, while shopping, Mom and I were in the produce aisle, and I saw a lady dressed in a floor-length fur coat shopping with an older lady. When she happened to turn around, my jaw dropped, and I couldn't believe my eyes! It was Kathryn Hayes, my "Kim Hughes"!!! I pointed her out to my mom to make sure I wasn't seeing things, and she confirmed that I was correct! I immediately walked over to her, and asked if she was indeed Kathryn Hayes, although I believe I asked her if she was Kim Hughes, because I was just so nervous! She laughed, and said that yes, she sure was! I told her what a HUGE fan I was of hers and of the show, and rather than being short with me, or making me feel like I was interrupting or inconveniencing her, she actually stood there and carried on a conversation with my mom and me, even introducing us to HER mother! It was a moment of my life that I will never, ever forget, and made me admire her even more than I already did. Her friendliness and kindness to two total strangers is something that completely touched my heart! I am very saddened to find out about her death (and, yes, I seriously just discovered she passed away a few minutes before I started my post), and I hope and pray for peace and comfort for her friends and family. May God bless all of you!!!
