Soldier's widow struggles to go on without him

At the age of 25, Annalisa Rimer shouldn’t have to be thinking about life as a widow.

Since Wednesday, though, that’s what she’s had to deal with.

Her husband, Fort Carson Army Sgt. Joshua Rimer died Wednesday in Afghanistan when an explosive blew up near his vehicle. He was 24.

Also killed was Spc. L.J. Neff Jr. of Blackfoot, Idaho. They were assigned to the 4th Engineer Battalion.

Thinking that her husband won’t be coming home to spend his life with her is hard for Rimer. She often slips and talks about him as if he were still alive.

“I’m not doing so good. Not so good. But I’m trying,” she said.

She remembers how funny and outgoing he was and how he took care of everyone around him. He read to her every night and took care of her when she was sick. When it snowed, he always drove his mother-in-law to and from work

“He is amazing. I mean he was amazing,” she said. “People just love Joshua.”

The pair met at Cowboys night club , where her future husband hammed it up, she said.

“He’s a crazy dancer and I mean a crazy dancer,” she said. “Women would throw money at him.”

When he asked her to dance, she initially refused because she was shy. Instead he just stood by her for the rest of the evening. After hanging out for four weekends at the club, he finally summoned up the courage to ask for her phone number.

“He asked me for my phone number and kissed me on my forehead,” she said. “We’ve been inseparable ever since.”

They were married in September 2007 and bought a house in Colorado Springs. Rimer was supposed to come back from Afghanistan for a short stay this September to rest and celebrate their two-year anniversary. He was due back permanently from Afghanistan in February or March and was planning on leaving the military when he returned, she said. They wanted to stay in Colorado Springs and start a family.

“He didn’t want me to be pregnant when he was gone because he wanted to be there to take care of me,” she said.

Rimer served in Iraq in 2003 and received a Purple Heart after being wounded. His battalion returned to Iraq in February but was transferred to Afghanistan.

She said her husband was a good leader who constantly drilled his men and was respected for his knowledge and loved for his outgoing personality. Since he died, she has been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have contacted her because they cared for her husband.

“He’s touched a lot of people,” she said. “He’s amazing.”

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Call the writer at 636-0274.