Smiling woman sitting at a dining table with a view of blue-domed buildings and the ocean in Santorini, Greece.

Sunny Wells

Sunny Wells is a retired French teacher, writer, and speaker who offers hope to young bereaved widows. Besides joining her Widows Gone Wild friends on continued adventures, Sunny and her new husband love to travel and to spend as much time as they can with their 11 grandchildren.

About

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

— Albert Schweitzer, Doctor and Philosopher

My Story

I joined the "group no one wants to join" when my husband died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 55. Grappling with grief, I attended a support group for younger bereaved spouses. I listened to their stories and realized I wasn't alone. From this initial group emerged a kindred circle of friends. As we walked through our grief together, we gradually grew from fragile widows into women of resilience. The days when we were unable to cope without posting a "911" — our code to confess we needed help — evolved into reinvented, full lives. A daring trip to Mexico solidified our turning point. In Widows Gone Wild, I recount how my friends and I, each at our own rate, overcame our grief and cultivated lifelong friendships. I share wisdom from the Widows Gone Wild gently and non-judgmentally, for the bereaved and also those who want to help them.

Smiling woman sitting on a bus, holding a skewer with olives and a pearl onion over a drink. There are travel documents on the table in front of her.

“You have to learn to forgive yourself for going on living . . . You decide you have to make your own happiness, it is not going to come looking for you.”

— Sunny Wells, Widows Gone Wild

Woman in a green dress with sunglasses standing in clear blue water holding a metal handrail at a beach or lakeside.
A couple standing in front of a metal railing with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris, France.

Since releasing Widows Gone Wild, life has only gotten richer. My family has grown to include 11 grandchildren. I have found love again and married Jeff. We still call Denver, Colorado home, soaking up everything this colorful state has to offer. We travel often and cherish every chance to gather with the ones we love most.

Widows Gone Wild

Six women sitting on a bench in front of a wooden wall with a sloped roof.

Book launch day 2019. My son and his family hosted the day at their clubhouse. All of the WGW (what we call the Widows Gone Wild) were there, and Rhonda’s son made tee shirts for us to wear. We had lots of food and drinks, and about 50 people attended. For the first hour or so, we just milled around, chatting and talking to the guests. I then read excerpts from the book to the group. It was a lovely event and made me feel like the book was truly on its way.

2019 Release Party

Group of eight women gathered around a table with food at a restaurant decorated with balloons and streamers.

The Widows Gone Wild group came out of a grief support group at the Denver Hospice. We all met, along with another dozen people, in a group that met weekly entitled Younger Bereaved Spouses. We met for about two years, with different people being added to the group as time went on. 

Wild Gone Wild

Group of seven women standing and sitting outdoors on a patio, smiling, with a brick building and trees in the background.

When the hospice social worker gently suggested to us that it was time for us to leave the group so others could join (our discussions had evolved and we were no longer new to grief), we decided to meet on our own regularly. We met for happy hours, dinners, and went on several trips together. After 19 years, 5 of us in the group still meet when we can, not as regularly as before, but it is a bond that remains strong.

Life Long Friends