Blessings in the ashes

However, the Ventura Church of Christ members never really connected.

In a weekly assembly filled with 150 souls, Hathway, 88, sat toward the back.

Before Edward William Hathway, Dee’s husband of 69 years, died on Feb. 16, 2017, he battled lung cancer for years.

“So I had to get him out, take care of him more,” the World War II veteran’s widow said of her quick exits after the closing prayer.

Rabe, who lost her own husband, Tom, eight years ago, occupied a pew up front, taking advantage of the church’s special technology for the hearing impaired.

That meant Rabe, who placed membership in 2014, seldom crossed paths with Hathway, a Ventura church member since Harry Truman was president.

Standing to sing, the women recognized each other’s faces from across the auditorium.

But they had no idea they lived 10 houses apart in a neighborhood known for “its winding streets and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.”

Then came the Thomas Fire, the largest wildfire in California’s modern history.