When her husband was diagnosed with cancer, Ann started a crash course learning about his complex business dealings.

FORBES: Life after death

Stephanie Crocker started in 2001 when she and her husband John bought a house that had an old apple tree in the backyard.

FORBES: Stephanie Crocker Turns Sugar Into Success

He would never say what he was thinking, but it was clear that he resented the time she spent at the hospital, and Eva had started looking forward to the days or weeks when her husband was away, inspecting a rig in the North Sea or designing some mysterious installation in Egypt or Nigeria.

NEWYORKER: The Bell Ringer