Christmas became a difficult time this year. Everything seemed to happen at once. Federal jury duty, gymnastics competitions, eye exam, Dad’s surgery and other things, all in addition to the holidays. Nothing was easy.
It got to the point that we dreaded phone calls.
This lasted until mid-January when we got the early morning call from Dad’s doctor. “We don’t think he’ll last more than an hour.” He lasted four hours.
I’d been down there earlier, before Christmas. Mostly, I was there for moral support and to spend some quality time with him. Who’d have thought that things would have gone south so suddenly? When I left, things were looking positive and we had hope that he could recover from the surgery, rehab, and go home.
Of course, it’s never easy. Not that easy. Things went back and forth for weeks. One day, he was doing well. The next day, not so much.
Decision
Finally, it was his decision to stop treatments. I got down there as soon as I could. While I didn’t get there before he passed, I was able to spend a little time with him before they cremated him. He was no longer in pain and at peace. If you are interested, he wrote his own obituary.
During my earlier visit, I made certain we had his advanced directive in place, his will, and a power of attorney. But, of course, it’s never easy. All those documents helped, but there were still hurdles to jump through. I still have a few to clear.
I have too many people to thank for their help and support during this time. So many folks bent over backward to help me clear up bills, accounts, and other things as my family navigated through to the memorial service. If you are reading this, you know who you are. Thank you!
Family and friends attended the memorial service and we filled the chapel at the funeral home. Dad was a vet, as am I and my baby sister, Kellie. The local Air Force color guard folded the US flag and gave it to Kellie. This wasn’t easy, either.
Memoir
It’s been almost four weeks since he passed. I’m in my office and I’ve been working through his memoir. He’s written it over the last few years. It’s interesting and full of fascinating events from his life. My plan is to go through it, footnote what needs footnoting and correcting what spelling and grammar needs correcting. I’ll give it to an editor friend for a good proofread and edit. Then, I intend to publish it under my little BugBear Books company as an ebook on Amazon. It will be free. If I can, I’ll set up a paperback for about $5. (Reality set in and it is published as a print book.)
Dad had a few copies of the memoir printed, but they are all given away. I think this should reach a wider audience, so that’s where I’m going with it. It covers his life and a lot of it details the work he did in the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s in the western US and Canada. You want to know where the power lines that run through Central Oregon came from? Dad built them. See those power lines running along the tops of the mountains in Northern British Columbia (Peace River to Prince George)? He built them.
Stay tuned. I’ll post information on the book when it is done and published.
Keep writing!
