The Tale of the Drs. Cone

Back in the 1990s when I was still married, one of my ex-husband's favorite stories to tell was that of his good buddy, Dr. Anson Cone, and his first wife, Dr. Florence Cone (who usually preferred to use her maiden name so she wouldn't have to be called "Flo Cone"). Anson, a radiologist, and Flo, a pathologist, were San Antonio physicians who were in the process of moving to the Texas Hill Country, and he was already working here. One Friday, Flo discovered a flat tire on her vehicle, and Anson changed it for her. The next morning, he came to work at the local hospital; the plan was that she would drive up from San Antonio later that morning and bring some of their things.

While Flo was driving on Interstate 10 between San Antonio and Boerne, the wheel suddenly came off her vehicle, causing it to roll over several times; her neck was broken and she apparently died instantly. My ex-husband said he was also working at the hospital that morning and that he was with Anson when the shocking news came in that Flo was dead. I remember attending Flo's funeral in San Antonio with my husband and also the burial service here--everyone was very sad except for Anson, who seemed remarkably upbeat for someone suddenly widowed.

A few months later, Anson suddenly remarried a local woman and my husband began talking obsessively about the fact that Anson was the beneficiary of two life insurance policies on Flo, one for 7 million dollars and the other for 7.5 million dollars. Of course the insurance company refused to pay, so a major court battle ensued. In the end, my husband said the court forced the insurance company to pay both of the policies in full, making Anson and his new wife very wealthy.

I was reminded of this story again recently while talking with a mutual friend. Anson and Flo had a daughter together, and my friend said the daughter had been accepted to medical school. I mentioned how proud Flo would have been about this and was told it was not yet certain that her daughter would actually be able to go to medical school--it seems Anson and his wife had flatly refused to help her out financially in any way. [My friend also said Anson might possibly be related to a couple named Wright who used to be listed as owning the gully just west of our property that is currently under heavy construction, although she wasn't positive about this.]