Dori Monson sat on the couch cheering on the Washington Huskies in the Alamo Bowl. His wife, Suzanne, was in the next room working on a jigsaw puzzle, a Christmas gift from one of their three daughters. A week earlier, Dori and Suzanne had hosted an early holiday family gathering at their home just outside Seattle.
In the days since, one daughter had gone to Minneapolis to visit her boyfriend's family and another went skiing in Canada. During halftime, Dori popped in to see Suzanne. As he often did, he took the opportunity to serenade her on the piano.
He'd played since childhood, and Billy Joel was one of his favorites. He sang "Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)." Even after being married for 35 years, Suzanne found the gesture romantic.
When the third quarter kicked off, Dori was back on the couch. Suzanne heard a loud snort from his direction. It wasn't uncommon for him to drift off while watching television.
He had sleep apnea and snored loudly. Suzanne expected a loud exhale to follow. She heard nothing.
So she went to check on him. Dori wasn't alert. Suzanne shook him and he didn't respond.
At 61, he'd gone into cardiac arrest. Suzanne recognized what was happening because she and Dori had been trained in CPR. They did so for many years when they coached girls' sports teams, including their daughters'.
She called 911, then started giving chest compressions. The dispatcher kept her on the phone, encouraging her. At one point, Suzanne heard a rib break, which can happen duri.