But his loss of hearing has made Lewis a homebody. It's often assumed, notes University of Florida sociologist Felix Berardo, that widows are desperate to remarry, or even worse, are on the lookout to steal another woman's husband. It's one of the reasons married friends often shy away. In fact, older widows rarely take new husbands. Remarriage is tricky territory.
Some women so sanctify their dead husbands that no other man can measure up.
Their adult children may fear a new marriage will deprive them of an inheritance. Most of all, men complicate a widow's freedom by demanding too much care. The women are figuring that out. Marie Wright certainly seems to have cottoned on already. She sleeps with a 38-caliber pistol by her bed.