Living

Country musician Rory Feek remembers life with wife Joey and looks ahead in new book

In his 2017 memoir "This Life I Live," Rory Feek shared stories of how he met his wife and musical partner, Joey, their life together and her cancer diagnosis. In his new book, "Once Upon a Farm: Lessons on Growing Love, Life, and Hope on a New Frontier" (Thomas Nelson), the country musician reflects on the time that has passed since Joey died on March 4, 2016 at age 40. Feek, 53, remembers moments with his wife, talks about becoming a single father for the second time, and looks to the future with daughter Indiana, 4.

Here are a few highlights:

Rory has a record of the haircuts Joey gave him on film

Joey cut Rory’s hair throughout their marriage. The first haircut took 1½ hours to complete. But after 10 years or so, Joey got it down to 20 minutes. He filmed many of these haircuts. “It is surreal to watch those clips now,” he writes. “When you see Joey standing over me with my hair in her fingers, measuring …. Through the doorway of the kitchen … there’s something beautiful about it. She was so alive. Our love so alive.” He remembers the last haircut. “My sister-in-law filmed that haircut, too. It’s precious. Joey barely ninety pounds I’ll bet, her body full of cancer … still being a wife to her husband. That was my last haircut before she passed away.”

Becoming a single dad for the second time with Indiana

When Rory met Joey, he was a single dad to two daughters, Heidi and Hopie, so he was not stranger to raising kids alone. When Joey died, she left behind their daughter, Indiana, then 2, who has Down Syndrome. Rory found himself in over his head with raising a toddler and in particular, potty training. Fortunately for Feek he has some “wonderful neighbor ladies around me who are jumping in and helping with ideas and advice and even activities to make this time more fun for Indiana.” There still have been a few missteps. Feek sent Indiana to school one day wearing what he thought was a cute jumper outfit. When he dropped his daughter off at school the teacher looked at Rory and said, “You know that’s a swimsuit, right?”

Joey's dog Rufus found fame on the silver screen

According to Rory, Rufus and Joey were inseparable, and whatever Joey asked of him, he would do. “I’d never seen a dog who loved someone as much as Rufus loved Joey. Or an owner who loved a dog as much as she did him.” In 2004, while Joey was working at a horse vet clinic, a producer for an upcoming movie came into the clinic looking for her, having heard that Rufus would do just about anything his owner asked of him. The producer asked if Rufus could ride on top of a moving car. Joey said no problem. And so Joey’s hound Rufus, before Rory and Joey found fame together, appeared in the 2005 film "Our Very Own." If you Google the movie poster, you will see him standing on the top of a car.