The graying of divorce
AFTER 33 YEARS of marriage, Martha McDowell's husband told her he wanted a divorce. He provided few reasons. They were trivial, and to her did not justify ending their union.
"He just didn't want to be married anymore," says McDowell, now 60. "But he was my best friend, and I expected to spend the rest of my life with him."
That was four and a half years ago. Today, McDowell, of Hayward, is a new woman. She is a grandmother and works for an arts college, a job she loves. She is active in her Fremont church, and says it was her faith that helped her deal with the emotional issues that come with late-life divorce.