Past a curved lane and down a rocky driveway sliced through a swath of skinny towering pines in New Franklin, Ohio, an oasis emerges. Complete calm exudes from the modern ranch resting amid fives acres of greenery, despite telltale signs of young life everywhere: upside-down bicycle helmets strewn about the lawn, a gray pygmy goat hopping atop his pen. Other clues point to a cog missing from the well-oiled machine. Fresh lettering on the mailbox spells out only one name, that of 41-year-old Dan McNeill, who jokes with his children as they beg to go fishing. Yet when they depart and talk turns to their mother, Barbara Jean McNeill, Dan’s eyes glisten behind the panes of his glasses and his head drops. “I’m capable of dying of a broken heart,” he sighs. Feb. 6, 2006 The date will forever be a bold notch on the timelines of those who loved Barb, a 38-year-old homemaker. On that cold Monday, Dan carted their six home-schooled children down to Salt Fork State Park for a day of fun and learn...
Wheel in the Sky Keeps on Turning...