Today (February 17, 2017) is the 97th birthday of Annie Glenn, the widow of Mercury astronaut John Glenn. Yesterday marked her first appearance since his death on December 8th, 2016. She attended a reception in honor of her birthday at Ohio State University’s John Glenn College of Public Affairs, at which she told reporters that she still missed him terribly.

“Oh, gosh. It’s just awful, because we’ve known each other since we were 2 years old, and he and I, we were both on the same side, he was always helping me, with the kids and everything,” she said. “I really miss him terribly. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Currently recovering from injuries she suffered in a fall last month, she moved slowly with a walker but still seemed cheerful while greeting guests with her daughter, Lyn. She mentioned being touched by the hundreds of people and the number of dignitaries who came out for a memorial service in John Glenn’s honor. “I didn’t expect that at all.”

She did hint that she might slow down her public pace with John Glenn gone. She had rarely gone to public appearances without him. With him gone, their two children had been visiting about monthly from their homes in Minnesota and California.

John Glenn: A Memoir