In the blink of an eye, Christmas joy turned to tragedy and his soul-mate was gone.

Bryan Hayson said if it weren't for his four daughters, he wouldn't be able to cope with the loss of his wife, "Teenie."

"If it weren't for them, I'd probably go join her," Bryan said. "It's just so hard to deal with."

Bryan and Teenie had plans for the holidays. The couple were to attend a holiday party on Christmas Eve. But those plans changed when Bryan had to work late. It was about 10:40 p.m. They decided to cancel the festive plans.

"I met her up at The Bank," Bryan said. "I met her up there and said I was tired, let's just go home, and she said okay."

Bryan was traveling in his vehicle on Columbia Road as Teenie drove her 1996 Chevrolet Astro van not far behind.

"I turned onto the dirt road, Farnum Road," Bryan said. "I saw her lights as she turned onto the dirt road, and then I went around a curve. I got home and waited, but I didn't see her lights. I waited a little bit longer. I turned around and went back to look for her."

Bryan drove back over Farnum Road to its junction with Columbia Road. There was no sign of Teenie's Chevrolet. Bryan then drove back toward the couple's Farnum Road home. But there was no sign of Teenie.

"I didn't see a thing, no (tire) marks or anything," Bryan said. "But I don't know what it was; something told me to stop at that point."

Although he said that "point" will forever be etched into his mind, it is hard for him to describe or even recall the next few moments.

"But I looked and there were lights underneath the water," Bryan said. "I turned my lights off because I thought it was maybe a reflection. But it was definitely lights. I began taking my shoes off and calling people on my cell. I went into the water and dove in. I don't know how many times I went in.

"I just couldn't get to her."

The woman Bryan called his wife for 26 years was gone.

Teenie was transported to The Regional Medical Center, where she was officially declared dead at 4:36 a.m. Christmas Eve.

It was originally believed Hayson drowned. Further investigation has revealed she suffered a broken neck in the accident.

The couple moved to the Orangeburg area from New Bern, N.C. in September. Bryan said that while his soul-mate was looking for suitable employment here, she had been executive director of the Merci Clinic, a free medical clinic in North Carolina.

"She spent many hours, in and beyond her official duties to assist hundreds of people in obtaining medical care who could not afford medical insurance or regular access to physicians in at least a three-county area around New Bern," wrote neurologist volunteer Michael Apostolou in a letter to The Times and Democrat. "Perhaps she has been given another mission to fulfill in the unfolding of the Divine design of life."

Besides possessing a compassionate heart for people as shown at the medical clinic, the 46-year-old Teenie had a passion for the outdoors, Bryan said.

"She loved motorcycles; that was just one of her passions," Bryan said. "She loved riding horses. She just loved riding. We had just completed the Toy Run in Branchville."

Perhaps it was that love for riding that made Teenie popular among motorcycle enthusiasts in the Midlands.

Nearly 65 motorcycles joined the processional that transported Teenie to her resting place at Memorial Park Cemetery on Broughton Street.

Another of Teenie's biggest passions was small in size.

"The light of her life was her grandson," Bryan said. "She spent every waking moment doing something for that child."

Whether the neck injury or a fatal heart attack occurred, Bryan is still searching for answers as to why the love of his life died in that pond. A final autopsy usually takes from four to six weeks.

"We just don't know," he said.

One thing Byran does know is that Teenie, like him, was a certified scuba diver. He believes had she not been killed or seriously injured in the crash, she could have gotten out of the vehicle.

While Christmas presents for his sweetheart remain unwrapped, Bryan said he and his daughters, ages 16 through 23, are simply trying to cope.

As Teenie had been actively pursuing work, a prospective employer called the Farnum Road family concerning a position that had become available.

"My daughter answered," Bryan said. "She had to tell her she (Teenie) couldn't take the job."

Today, Bryan said he is just numb, unsure as to what the future holds.

"It's hard to say right now," Bryan said. "The laughter's gone. That's what's missing here. We're just going through the motions."

T&D Staff Writer Richard Walker can be reached by e-mail at rwalker@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5516.

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