Robert Spangler: Black Widower

But Sharon's mental and emotional problems continued to escalate, and it was wearing on their marriage.

In December, 1987, Sharon made a frantic, incoherent call to the police, saying she was afraid of Bob. She ran from the house into a local supermarket and hid in a stock room. She struggled with police when they tried to take her out of the grocery store, convinced that Bob was out to "get her," and it's uncertain if she was justifiably terror-struck or if her medications were out of whack. Regardless, she and Bob divorced soon thereafter.

The divorce settlement was hard on Bob. It included spousal support payments to her of $500 per month until 1990, and then $400 per month until July, 1997. She took another $150,000 in compensation from stocks and bonds, and they each had visitation rights with the three dogs, although Sharon took Shadow and left Sunshine and Mollie with Bob.

There was one strange clause to the divorce decree, and that was that Bob was to receive $20,000 back from her estate should Sharon predecease him.

It was an expensive divorce for him in fact he had to go back to work but he didn't seem to be able to quite sever ties with Sharon. Not then, and not for a long time.

Sharon moved on and found Michael, another equally as distressed soul to increasingly complicate her life.

Bob, single again at age 55, frantically sought a new mate. He started by placing a personals ad.