"Lock the doors and close the blinds -- we're going for a ride..."

I remember where I was when I first heard that Princess Di had been killed in an automobile accident. K and I were on our way to an evening reception the night before our friends' wedding in Miami Beach. As we were driving down I-95, the news came in over the radio. It was a shock -- nobody expects a life to be taken away so quickly.

And then the media was all over it. People worldwide were grieving. Here was someone who didn't make much of a difference to me, but had a global following as a woman, as royalty, as a so-called "tabloid tart," and as a humanitarian worker. I rolled my eyes when Elton John re-made "Candle In the Wind." I just hadn't seen the big deal.

As I was driving home from work this evening, I tuned into the nationally syndicated "Don and Mike" radio show. I've mentioned it several times here. I've been listening to this duo ever since I was eleven and they were doing morning drive in the DC area. I was looking forward to the show -- a recap of their respective vacations for the past two weeks. The show has been in "best-of" mode during that time.

I was confused by the somber tone of the show. And the absence of "Don" -- one half of "Don and Mike."

And slowly I figured out what was going on and called K at her office.

"Did Freda.... die?"

Freda Wright-Sorce is Don Geronimo's (real name: Mike Sorce) wife. She was killed yesterday in a car accident in Ocean City, Maryland. She was driving eastbound on Route 90 when another car swerved in her path, trying to avoid an accident in the westbound lanes. A head-on collision.

Big deal. Why would we care if the wife of a radio personality was killed?

She has been part of the show. For the past twenty-some years. So has their son, Bart. It's interesting having listened to them pretty much every day for four hours for that amount of time. I remember the shows when Bart was a baby; now he's a sophomore at Clemson. Freda was quite a part of the show -- which involved on-air arguments, discussions, funny moments and more. It was all either very real or they convinced several million people that it was. It wasn't always pretty. You could tell that they loved each other, though. There was enough turmoil to demonstrate that this wasn't a facade to put on for the audience.

Freda also happened to run their newsletter and, later on, the website for the show. She would answer email received from listeners. She would make it to live appearance, shmoozing with the crowd.

Perhaps it was the constant exposure to her. Perhaps it was seeing the evolution of a marriage and a family, no holds barred. And not having to agree with what they did all the time. But simply having that as a piece of our day -- at first when I got up in the morning and then as I would drive home from work.

Today's show was spent talking about her life. Playing tapes of Don and Freda talking with each other, on-air, over the phone. Taking calls from listeners who shared the same sentiments. Here's this complete stranger who touched a lot of lives. Whether that was her intention or not.

Love you, Freda. A community grieves with your family.