« Thursday August 28, 2008 | Main | A Letter from Lynn about FBorFW »

In early 1991, Elly was expecting her third child, April, who was named for her birth month. Our daughter was also expecting a little girl, but she was intending to place the baby for adoption. She had a beautiful baby girl just after Elly delivered April. Because our granddaughter was never to be in our lives, I watched April grow, learn, change from an infant to the teenager she is today, always feeling that I was watching my granddaughter.
Thanks so much for this story line. I know that it has brought me a measure of peace.

Sara G, Massachusetts

To Lynn and your team of hard workers:
Thank you,Gracias, Merci Beaucoup, Domo arigato gozaimas,Baie Dankie,Asante Sana,Obrigado,Miigwech ... ways to say "Thank you."
You started out over 30 years ago, with John Elly Michael and Elizabeth as a young family...and now it comes to an end with Elizabeth's marriage... Thank you for all the memories For Better, like the marriages of Dee and Mike, Anthony and Liz, or For Worse, like Farley's passing,Mr. Butts's death and Jim's current condition...
I think April's future will be that she marries a man from her University days. They'll travel here and there before settling down in yet another house on Sharon Drive- Their Summer house- Real house will be somewhere else but come every summer down to Sharon Drive that is... and save lots of animals and humans' lives, cause she'll be a veterinarian and he'll be a doctor. They'll have 3 kids, two boys and a girl. The girl will eventually marry Gerald and Becky's son.
Francoise will take after Liz, and become a teacher. She'll go teach and find someone to love in another indian village who is no relation to Paul Wright.
Shannon will graduate with April from the High School, and then go on to a college that understands people with special needs. She'll kick butt and take no prisoners, and then get a job helping others once she graduates from the University.
Liz will have twins, a boy and a girl. They and Francoise will drive Liz and Anthony up the wall sometimes. The twins will be named John James, and Marian Iris-Ella, to honor John, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Marian, Iris and Elly.

Lara B, Santa Ana

I have been reading your strip for years, and the uncanny parallels with my life and the cast of characters has always created a twinkle in my eye. Your strip has made my days brighter. Let no one underestimate the power of a comic strip! Thank you for all the joys!

Shelley B, Cincinnati Ohio

I have written before, but I just had to say that I will miss you like I never thought possible. I know that the Patterson's are 'fictional' and will continue. I know that I will delight in what you will be producing and I have often wished that I could read the strips that I missed, but I grieve that their continuing story will not...well... continue. It may sound stupid, but I burst into tears at work when I read that this will be the last week of their present story. I wish I had parents like Ellie and John. I wish that it never had to end... but of course it does. Thank you for showing me (and the world) that there can be kindness and acceptance. Just... thank you.

Elizabeth, Oregon

I thought the end of today's strip seemed mightily like a segue or a coda. I just read where this is sort of the end and wanted to thank you for all the excellent work; stories and draftmanship were first class, as was the depth of human experience that you shared.

Om Shantih Shantih Shantih

Tim S, Long Beach, CA

Oh Elly, you go girl!
Today's strip brought tears to my eyes: I'm not sure if they were for the Pattersons, or for Jim, or because the strip as we know it, is ending. Thanks so much.

Katie Y, Madison WI

Hi Lynn!
I just read about my favorite comic strip ending and am saddened. I did, however, feel better reading about your "New-runs" and look forward to them. I, like many people here, grew up with the Pattersons and have felt their many triumphs and heartbreaks. So many people can relate to the Pattersons, even if they aren't real people! I haven't been able to keep up with the daily strip (but now I know I can catch up here!) but have been following every Sunday. I, too, will miss finding out how the kids survive being adults and experiencing the smae things their parents did!

Lisa, Surprise AZ

Dear Lynn Johnson:
I've followed the characters of For Better or Worse since college. You are an amazing writer and I've always admired the blend of past and present in the strips.
You honored our WWII veterans; you allowed Elly and family to grow old. Then you added new people (and pets)to your readers' lives. Thank you for including bullies and fickle friends in the strip. Thank you for showing the power of love. Thanks for your personal fortitude and creativity.

Alfreda J, East Setauket, New York

I've always looked for FBFW first, or last, saving the best forlast. I feel, like most people who've written, that the family is part of my family. the stories had to be true, they have such a ring of truth through them. all the characters are so authentic and deep and the situations are like those we all face. Ms. Johnston, I think your art is as good as your storylines, their faces are so expressive, that i almost don't have to read the balloons. i love the faces you draw, and i think you are a genious to be able to make them so very alive! I will read your strips as long as you will write them, and I'll buy your books of strips and anything else you write. The writer of Calvin and Hobbs has left the world a little sadder with his absence and Thank God you've decided to carry on. Thank you again for so many memories and laughs.

Frances P, Galveston TX

What a great run you've had. I wish I had encountered this strip sooner. I always save it to be read last - the dessert at the end of the news. Thank you for being real, for giving us good people to live with in our minds.

Bob K, Georgetown TX

Dear Lynn,Just wanted to thank you for all the meemories growing up I to Have grown up with Michael and Elizabeth as i am 41 this year. But it wasnt until my grandparents Ed and Jean passed did i really realize how much time had passed for me too.when iris and jim had their elder worries and health issues it reminded me of my own grandparents .Thanks for helping me keep them alive trhough Iris and jim.

Brian G, Niagara Falls NY

I just finished reading Anthony Caine's biography. Beth Cruikshank has done a wonderful job of helping us understand Anthony. After reading this, I love him even more than ever before, and I can see that he and his daughter really belong with Liz. I even have a little sympathy for Anthony's ex-wife, although I still despise her behavior. These biographies are a great addition, and are helping to elevate the comic strip as an important literary form. You're changing our perspectives! Keep it up.

Sandy S, Savannah GA

I knew, I knew it, I knew you were retiring...months and months ago. For all along our lives have paralleled. When Michael had Mrs. Hardacre, my son was going through the same in school. When looking into a mirror and expecting sympathy from one's mate as the valleys and mountain developed on the thighs, when hot flashes became nightmares, and we retired several years ago...I knew you were getting there too.
Be prepared, retirement is not for the weak-hearted, new and unbelievable challenges and learning takes place...sometimes one even remembers what one has gone for in a room.
bless you for the joy you have been.

H, USA

I have enjoyed the strip for many years and I am looking foreward to the retooling of your saga.Oh how I wish we older folks could go back and retool some of our experiences .Thank you for the years of humor and gentleness.

El W, Johnstown PA

Dear Lynn: When you started the strip all those years ago did you ever imagiine how many lives you would influence? Wish I had known about it the whole time but I've read it in the newspapers and then on my desk top and it's the first thing I go to in the morning. We'll miss you lovely lady

Vivian M, Indiana

Over the years your story line has migrated from Elly and John, to Elizabeth, Michael and April. It is amazing how real that is to every adult that has children themselves. As we grow our focus changes from ourselves to our children, but we still manage to lead a life. There is just less time to do it, but that gives us a greater level of appreciation for what we are given.

Richard B, Ontario NY

The wedding was great! Thanks for not letting Grandpa die during the wedding and showing what a loving family Elly & John have brought up. Best of luck in your retirement. I'll miss your current articles. I do hope you will keep your website.

Bonnie, Mansfield TX

Dear Lynn,

About five years ago my mom, Maria, past away. She loved For better or For Worse. She had a April Doll and talked about Elly and her family as if they were our neighbors. She sent me strips when I was away at college and later on when I was off pursuing a career. These past five years, when I'm reading your strip, I feel close to my mom. I wonder what she would think about daily events in the Patterson's lives. I'm sure we would have debated whether or not Anthony is the right guy for Liz (I think she would have been pleased to see this week's strips). Although I will continue to read the "new-runs", I am sad to see the storylines of the characters reach a end. I will miss how the strip makes me remember my mom. I don't want to say goodbye. Lynn, I want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for writing such a wonderful comic strip. You brought a smile to my mom's face every morning and I am forever grateful for that.

Your fan forever.

Corrie, Meriden, CT

The Pattersons will be sorely missed. Yours is the first comic strip that ever made me cry. The death of Farley was the first time, but not the last. Thank you for replying to my friend Terry, a writer who died this past spring. Your response meant a lot to him.

Marina, Orlando FL

The storyline of Elizabeth and Anthony visiting her grandfather in hospital on their wedding day brings back memories. Three weeks prior to my wedding, my grandmother had a stroke and though fairly alert whe would not be able to attend the wedding in London, ON. So on the Sunday night after the wedding we stayed over in my hometown of Kingston, and the next morning I got in my suit, and my wife Nancy got back into her wedding dress and we walked the two-three blocks to the Hotel Dieu Hospital to visit her. Nothing brings a hospital foyer and ward to a complete stop like the presence of a bride and groom. We had a good visit with my grandmother, who would be kept busy for the rest of the day answering questions from nurses about her overly dressed visitors. I was glad we made the effort, as we learned upon on return from our honeymoon in PEI to our home in Nova Scotia, that she had passed away a few days later.

All the best,

Rev. Bill and Rev. Nancy, Kingston ON

Hi Lynn, Hi Team --

I've been away from home, but not away from FBorFW strips. May I have one of those cookies, please, Steph? Thanks. Now where was I: Oh, prayers for Grandpa Jim, of course, and for Iris. Lynn, I've just watched your YouTube interview, and I'm looking forward to "everything old being new again!" So I'm not an 'old timer' FBorFW reader anymore, eh? I'll now be a 'new timer', as opposed to a new reader. This is good. On a more serious note, we hope you are well, Lynn. We know The Team responds to your helm commands, but we 'new timers' are old family now. Grandpa Jim is a comic strip character; you are not. Mmm, good coffee as usual, Lynn. Well, Team, I'll let you get back to work -- uh, Steph, may I have another one of those cookies? Thank you! See you later, guys.

Steve, Sarasota County FL

Lynn ~
You tell a great story.
Well done.

God's blessings to you, and I hope that your future is bright and rich!

Eva P, Tuscaloosa, Alabama USA

Lynn Thank you and your wonderful staff for this amazing comic (really it is so much more than just a comic). Even after you freeze everyone in time, I hope that you will continue to give us updates in their lives. I miss the monthly letters. It would be nice if you had something like that. I would love to know what April does as she gets older. Thanks you again!

Melissa, Virginia USA

I grew up reading For Better or For Worse and I was enjoying the strip for its humor and all.

Now that I am a mom, I have started to buy the first books of my favorite comic strip and oh my gosh what I found funnier is that I can relate to them! Lynn, I have no clue how you were able to put a fun twist on a mom daily little drama but now when things happens with the kids I just try to see the fun side of it.

You are a great inspiration to my daily life! Now I have a sense of humor even with drama around!

Thanks a bunch for your work!

Ruth-Sarah P, Arkansas

I have read your strip from the beginning. it will be nice to see how your next effort will work out and yes i cried at Elizabeths wedding who doesnt cry at weddings? my daughter was killed in a car accident 2 years ago and left 3 little boys behind i wouldnt trade all those tears i cried for each special minute that we had with her

Jan G, Arlington SD

I to have enjoyed your strip for avery long time..... you ended the strip with class... like your comic strip has always been... thank you for a enjoyable comic strip.....will be looking forward to seeing what kind of changes you make.... thanks.....

Carol, Ohio

Hi Lynn - I have been a fan since For Better Or For Worse first appeared in the Los Angeles Times. I was sad to learn that you are retiring but I understand why. I am looking forward to reliving the Farley days. Please, please continue drawing in your traditional style. It's one of the reasons I became so entralled with the story - your artwork. I was very disappointed with the flashback drawing because it was lacking the detail at which you excel.
Thank you for making my mornings start with humor and sentiment. You have had a huge impact on so many lives.
Best regards,

Peggy F, Whittier, California

As tears fill my eyes, I want to thank you for all these wonderful years of FBorFW. I have had to get my fix each day and found that this was the only comic I was reading. Your comic has brought tears and laughter to my life as I relate my life to the Pattersons. Thank you for handling tough situations in a compassionate way. Dealing with people with special needs, the elderly and their trials and sexual orientation has shown that everyone is special in their own way and is a very important part of our lives. God Bless You for all you have done to show that everyone has a special place in this world. Take care and all the success in the world to you as you embark on your new adventure. Again, thank you for filling my life with such joy.

Julia L, Waco TX

Dear Lynn:

With the "new-runs" scheduled to start on Monday, I guess this weekend will be the last chance we have to see April in the strip, at least for another decade or so. Of all the Pattersons, I will miss her in particular. She is a basically good and decent person even though her family and her friends don't always recognize that.

There has been some speculation that this Sunday's strip will reveal what the future holds for the Pattersons. If so, I am hoping that April's future will include something other than her ending up marrying Gerald. He may have been her first love, but for the last year or so, he and April have barely been tolerating each other. Rather than linking her permanently with Gerald, it would be better for prospects for April's future romances to remain open to the readers' imagination.

Joshua, Chicago

I've been reading the strip since about I was 17, and have been able to laugh at everything (I'm the eldest of 7), from Michael and Lizzy's squabbles, to crying when Farley passed away. You have a gift! And thank you for sharing it.

I send lots of love and good wishes to Elizabeth, Anthony and Francois.

Jeanette, Kansas City

Congrats on your 29 career. I was born four months before the series premired (in 1979). My mom (currently lives in Savannah, GA, USA,) kept a sunday strip 16 years ago with Elly enjoying watermelon. Which my mom enjoys also. Recently, she recovered from cancer surgery in Febuary this year. I feel your series shows courage and strengh in every story. Thank-You and Happy Retirement Ms. Johnson!

Mike B, Atlanta GA

Dear Lynn,

Over the years the Pattersons have gone from being just another comic strip (albeit better than most) to being my very very very favorite strip. Now I think of the Pattersons as dear friends that live far away.

I'm sorry that their news bites are ending, but I'm looking forward to looking through their photo albums and hearing more of their family stories.

All good things must end... but each ending is also a beginning.

Lynn, many blessings to you, as you have blessed us all.

Becky F, Culver City CA

It amazes me, looking back, that so many people have forgotten what you know; you don't have a camera in anyone's house, you just live a life a lot like theirs.

Paul J, Saint John NB

I've just finished reading the biography for Anthony and I am completely amazed at the amount of detail gone into. I loved reading the backstory behind so many series of strips. Please keep doing the biographies. They are fantastic!

Also, I just wanted to say, I've been reading this strip since I was about 10 years old. I'm only a year older than Elizabeth so I've always identified with her. I love the way you portray people. They don't always do the right thing but that is what makes it so real. I am sad that this story line is coming to an end but I wish you great success as you go back to the beginning!

Danni, Alton UK

I have a huge mountain in my throat, we eventually will need a debrief on this.
Merci beaucoup Madame Johnston.
Gaetan D.
One of your reader from le journal LE SOLEIL in Quebec city.

Gaetan D, Quebec City, Canada

Each morning I have to read about my favorite family. Thank you for making them so real and fun. Enjoy your retirement!

Susan M, Vernon CT

Fondly remembering Paul and Susan.....

The Bridegroom leaps onto the jetty
And walks with a confident air;
The Bride and her Maids are all twining
White Cinquefoil buds in their hair.

In the mauve of the wild-blooming Gentian,
The pearl of the Wood-Pigeon's breast,
And the emerald and bronze of the Balsams,
All Nature is festively dressed.

There'll be sweet corn on all of the tables,
Biscuits right out of the pan, --
And pails of sweet, red summer Berries
Crowning Cobbler, and Custard, and Flan!

The Guests clap in time with the Fiddler,
And the Flower Girl's dancing a Jig;
The Barbecue fires are glowing--
There's a Wedding today, in Mtig!

Anna M, Winnipeg

Yesterday after reading Anthony Caine's Bio, the office collectively wept. Even though many of us remember Anthony as a young teen, we did not know the emotional times he had went though. Also the bio explained a lot about Therese. It even showed a bit of kindness when Therese sent over her mother in law to comfort Anthony after she dumped him. The office wished the bio had went a little further in details of the courtship of Anthony and Liz after Shauna Marie's wedding but oh well. After today's strip, the office predicted a baby for Liz and Anthony by next year! The office wants to send their collective best wishes to Lynn and Staff for future endeavors.

PM, NJ

i feel the letter-writers are pen-pals and we all are sharing our stories, each one reflecting and resonating with life and pathos. the internet has certainly changed the way we communicate, bringing out the best and worst of us. i will enjoy reading the letters each day as much as i will enjoy the strip redux. hope there isn't a limit to the number of letters written..

Annie A, Oneonta NY

What a wonderful dialogue today between Elizabeth, a brand new wife just starting out on her life journey with her beloved and Iris, a wife who's lived through everything -- and admires her husband's courage in dealing with very tough chronic conditions.
I want to see it continue as Liz struggles through the first years of marriage, of being a stepmother and mother, and growing in her relationship with Anthony.
Oh how I will miss this!
But the new material going back in time sounds nice . . .
Oh, and thank you for posting Anthony's biography. I can't say I "enjoyed" reading it. So much sadness and difficulty with his family. I hope now he knows he is really loved.
Thank you again, Lynn, and company for so much.

Mary Louise, Iowa

Lynn,
Thanks again for showing appreciation for all the caregivers out there. Thanks for letting Liz and Anthony have a great wedding and still show their respect to Grandpa and Iris. My youngest child is the same age as April and I have often been amazed at how accurate your age portrayals are. Your artwork, the stories, the website, everything you do is first rate. Thank you for all the fun and discussion you've prompted over the years.
Wishing you happiness.

Cindi, Andover KS

I've been reading the strips and buying the books since the beginning - I would like to say to Lynn thank you for the many years of happiness. I still read over the books time to time to bring back laughter.

Like many things, some things come to an end - but like pictures, they still continue on.

Thank you Lynn and I hope for the best in your future.

David S, Des Moines Iowa

I love Liz's zombie-fied declaration that she wants a baby: "I want to have a baby someday... I love housework... I want to marry Anthony... I want to move to Stepford..." and in her field of vision all she can see is a hypnotic swirl and some echoes of the pounding brainwashing soundtrack her parents used to make her utter such inanities.

Elyse, Carrboro, NC

Dear Lynn,

I have been reading FBOFW since Elizabeth was born. I have always loved the strip and considered it my daily "fix". It was the only "soap opera" I was ever interested in. I am happy for Elizabeth and Anthony, a union that did not surprise me since Elizabeth always intended to marry someone like her dad. I was glad when you tackled the subject of gay issues and sad when I heard of the your own personal pain. You are an excellent example of what a person can become when they persevere and remain true to themselves. I will miss FBOFW very, very much. Thank you for many happy years.

Sue, Barrie, Ontario