Yahoo Finance John Easterling Recalls One of His First Vacations with Olivia Newton-John on Late Wife's Birthday
David Livingston/Getty Olivia Newton-John and John Easterling
John Easterling is looking back on a seemingly magical time spent with his late wife, Olivia Newton-John, on the superstar's first posthumous birthday, days after friends and family celebrated her at a memorial service.
On Monday, which would've been the day Newton-John turned 74, Easterling posted to her Instagram and shared a sweet story about a nearly tumultuous boat trip the couple embarked on during a vacation that took place on one of the Grease star's birthdays early in their relationship.
"I remember the first birthday when we were together and I took Olivia on a week-long adventure in the Out Islands of the Bahamas surrounded by a beautiful, peaceful, spectacular turquoise water," wrote the Amazon Herb Company founder, 70, noting that they stayed in a secluded island house with no nearby roads and had to travel everywhere by boat.
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"There are so many islands there [that] you almost always have an island in sight when you're out on your boat," continued Easterling. "It was private, it was wonderful, and we would take the boat to uninhabited islands and beach it and just explore — just the two of us."
Following a one-day visit to Great Guana Cay, the pair encountered a storm complete with heavy, intense winds, cloudy skies, "stinging" rain and "choppy" gray waters. "Olivia got behind me holding tight as I was navigating this 23-foot-runabout with a center consul," he wrote. "The only instrument was a magnetic compass."
"I had a bearing on Elbow Cay but there was no visibility," recalled Easterling, who then began "wondering if the currents and the wind" led their boat away from the Bahamas and in the direction of Africa. "But, as quickly as the storm started, the winds died down, the rain stopped, the sun poked through and the seas turned back to that beautiful turquoise."
He said they soon "could see the Hopetown Lighthouse on Elbow Cay" and realized they were "perfectly on course."
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty John Easterling and Olivia Newton-John
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"The rainbow started on the left and crystallized all the way over — horizon to horizon — and that's when the dolphins started jumping at the bow of the boat leading us under the rainbow," wrote Easterling. "Oliva looked at me like I was a superhero and I knew it was mostly blind faith and dumb luck."
He added, "As the dolphins led us over the gorgeous aqua water, under the rainbow towards the lighthouse, we both recognized the fingerprints of the supernatural were all over this — and that's the way we lived our life."
Easterling's post concluded, "Every day with Olivia there was a hint of magic and [an] everyday day with Olivia was a bit of the supernatural. Happy Birthday Honey — I love you!"
John Shearer/WireImage Olivia Newton-John
On Aug. 8, the four-time Grammy winner and Xanadu star died at age 73 after a 30-year experience with breast cancer, Easterling announced on her social media channels.
"Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer," he wrote at the time. "Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the @onjfoundation."
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Last Wednesday, Newton-John's friends and family remembered her at a memorial service attended by John Travolta, Marie Osmond, Leeza Gibbons and Sir Cliff, her rep confirms. Other pals from Down Under also made the trip from Australia for the service.
"It was at a vineyard near her home in Southern California on the 21st," a source tells PEOPLE. "The family wanted this to be very quiet and private."
The annual Walk For Wellness will take place on Oct. 9 at Alexandra Gardens in Victoria to raise much-needed funds for the ONJ Centre. Fans can join the walk virtually by registering at https://walkforwellness.com.au/.
