Alvin woman wants to help pay for her ex-husband's funeral

ALVIN, TX (KTRK) -- An Alvin woman is working to make sure her ex-husband's final wishes are honored after years of battling cancer.

She says not all divorces end badly.

"It was a good relationship and I think it was good for the children," explained Susie West of her relationship with her ex-husband, Howie Schnur.

Diagnosed in 2010, Schnur died Sunday from a form of skin cancer. West and Schnur divorced in 2009 after nine years of marriage.

Months after their divorce, they realized being friends was much better than the alternative. The couple had two children together and West thought of Schnur as her best friend.

"He was very important to me," said West. "Just because I'm not in love with him, didn't mean I didn't love him. He was my first love."

It wasn't your typical divorce story and it became even less typical.

"He would always say this was my babe and my ex-babe," said Lorrie Schnur, Howie's widow.

West and Schnur say they clicked like sisters when they met more than three years ago. They supported each other when Howie's final months became days and now both women wish to honor his final wishes in a way he "deserves."

"All we're looking to do is give him a respectful burial, that's all," West said.

West has set up a GuFundMe page to raise the funds for the burial, in memory of the man who brought the two women together.

"I love him. He is a good person," she added.