Episode Details

John Anno was 39 when his wife, Meredith, died in December 2015, five weeks after a sudden diagnosis — just two months after their 15th wedding anniversary. She had just turned 40. The Galesburg man, a graduate of Galesburg High School and former operator of Anno & Son Towing, was left raising three teenagers largely on his own. Nearly a decade later, he runs online grief support groups with more than 40,000 members, and he's written it all down in a new memoir, "It's OK to Cry: A Widower's Journey." Anno joined Galesburg's Morning News on Monday, Aug. 24, to talk about it. They talked about: What "widower's fog" actually feels like in the first days after loss Why losing a spouse means losing "the witness to your life" How friendships shift after a spouse dies Why Anno believes letting himself cry helped him and his kids heal How his faith and his Galesburg church community carried him through The practical steps he wishes every couple would take now — before a crisis hits Where to find his book, and the local libraries getting free copies   🎧 Subscribe to Galesburg's Morning News: Apple Podcasts | Spotify