FORT MYERS, Fla. — Becky Bodnar fiercely loved her family and friends, and was meticulous in every sense of the word about her work in language and dance.
And her husband, Robert Rigaux, was a charming intellect who adored his wife.
“They just glowed when they would look at each other,” said Bodnar’s aunt, Grace Nolan.
Their love story began in his native France and would eventually take them to Fort Myers Beach, Florida – where the couple, who had been married for more than four decades, had retired.
Bodnar and Rigaux died after the storm surge from Hurricane Ian swept them and their home. They were 80 and 79, respectively.
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Born in Cleveland, Ohio as her parents’ only child, Bodnar was outgoing, a perfectionist and loved to dance, particularly ballet.
“We kind of grew up together,” said Nolan, who is 9 years older than Bodnar. “She was absolutely delightful in her younger years.”
At Butler University in Indianapolis, Bodnar studied English, French and ballet. She would go on to teach the romance language at Shelbyville High School.
Bodnar was also well known for choreographing the school’s musicals and cheerleading routines, including the annual can-can routine that “just brought down the house,” said lifelong friend Debby Jones.
It was at the high school that Bodnar would meet 14-year-old Jones, who is around 10 years Bodnar’s junior. Bodnar also taught at Jones’ mother’s dance studio. The two bonded over their shared admiration for the art.
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The pair kept in touch after Jones graduated and when Bodnar achieved a life-long dream of moving to France to teach English at a university there.
In letters over the years to Jones, Bodnar would always sign off, “Maybe not by blood, but by love, we’re sisters.”
Bodnar lived in France for about four years, where she met Rigaux. They married in 1976, with one ceremony in Europe and one in the States.
Bodnar, who kept her maiden name for teaching purposes, then got a job at Georgia State University in Atlanta and worked in the English as a Second Language Program.
The couple would retire to Fort Myers Beach, where Bodnar’s parents had bought a home in 1972, eventually converting it into two units.
When Jones met Rigaux, she took notice right away. “He was the perfect gentleman, especially toward Becky,” she said.
It showed in the way he looked at her, how he would pull the chair out for her at a restaurant, when he stood up if she left or entered a room.
“That meant a lot to me that she found someone like him,” she said.
He was “rather reserved” compared to Becky, but knowledgeable in many subjects, whether it was current events, politics, history or computers, Jones said. Rigaux enjoyed playing bridge and biking up and down the Gulf Coast. Bodnar kept busy, too, belonging to a bonsai club, the women’s club and her sorority, Alpha Chi Omega.
The couple would fly back to France twice a year, sharing photos and descriptions of their travels to friends and family along the way.
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The couple had endured storms over the years, but Hurricane Irma had frightened Bodnar, Jones said. Yet she thought the worst of Ian would be in Tampa.
Over the years, Jones would ask if Bodnar would return home to Indiana. Her response: “Does it still snow?” When Jones replied yes, Bodnar would say, “There’s your answer.”
As friends and family grieve, they cherish “the many happy memories” of the couple.
“Oh dear Robert, we’ve searched for you and Becky for over a week now and finally found you in the last place on earth we wanted you to be,” wrote friend Phyllis Moir on Rigaux’s public memorial page. “The only good news in all of this catastrophic tragedy is the many happy memories we have of time spent with you and Becky over the past few years.”
Follow Hannah Morse on Twitter @mannahhorse.
