The Passing of a Great Man

I'm very sorry for your loss Mac. My sincere condolences to you and your family.

 

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Thanks for sharing with us Mac. I don't have words to express how I feel. I'm glad he went surrounded by his loved ones and without suffering.

Hugs

 

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Condolences on your loss Mac. I understand the place you are in, having been there myself.

My dad was also a WW2 pilot, then a USAF career officer until he retired to teach high school for 20 + years. One day in 2003 (he was 84) he made sandwiches for himself and my mom, took a bite out of his, turned and took 3 steps into the dining room from the kitchen. He then tripped on a throw rug that the visiting nurse had been warning him was a tripping hazard for 6 months, fell, hit his head on the dining room table, tore a big artery in his brain, hit the floor and passed out. The visiting nurse found him 3 days later, still breathing. Mom (who had Parkinson's and a bunch of other ailments) was in the back of the house on the floor as well, having fallen out of her wheelchair trying to get to the front of the house when dad didn't come for her.

EMS took him to hospital and hooked him up to life support, but his brain was pretty much dead and the bleed was still pumping blood into his skull. I had the neurosurgeon pull the plug as per dad's wishes. He passed peacefully very soon after. Mom spent the last 8 years in nursing care, she died last Feb from COPD (also Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, dementia etc)

Now (literally - work on this pretty much every day) I am settling their estate. As the hassle of doing that has increased, my sense of loss has decreased. They both lived full long lives. They could both have been healthier if they had tried a little, but chose not to. They very much enjoyed the life that they had, and were real clear that they had left me a huge mess to clean up. I am doing that for them, as per their request and direction. This gives me closure.

It will get better for you as well.

 

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To live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die.
Thomas Campbell

My condolances as well, but you have memories with him which will keep him with you forever.

 

I'm so sorry to hear about it Mac. As I mentioned: it does get easier. It sounds "well enough", a good way. And he left behind an impressive legacy.

The best of all possible days go with you.

Geoff

 

We had the funeral today. It was a very nice service. We had the funeral at Dad's church in downtown Dallas, which he has been a deacon in since 1964...and the burial in Cooper, Texas...an hour east of Dallas. I held up pretty well, until the two honor guards from the Air Force played "Taps"..I kinda lost it while they played.

Thanks again for everyone's kind comments...it's nice to hear in times like this.

 

Your Father was a Great Man!! from your post it is evident. The world will miss him with out even knowing what he has accomplished . The real Heroes in life that do with out question . They just do what has to be done . The floor sweepers is what I call em . They don't let the crumbs get away. They keep em out of our beds too . You know how it is if you get crumbs in your bed ? Not fun and then you got to shake out the sheets . Sheet shakers move the world forward. He was a Great Man . Government support is cutting back on the work your father did so well it is a dbl blow to us all . You guys had great Dads . That is a blessing big time

 

One thing I thought of at the service....In the Steve Job's thread someone posted a quote from President Obama...that one of the greatest tributes to Steve Jobs was that so many people learned of his passing on a device he invented.

I think it's also a tribute to my father..that he helped design the 777 that brought his oldest grand daughter from her military post in Korea to the funeral.

 

Im sorry for your loss. Its my stance not to mourn the dead, but the ones they left here on Earth. It sounds like your mother and father were in love, that alone says your father is a great man, on top of that he's a warrior. I have faith he is in Heaven now just waiting for his wife to join him so their eternal bond can come to fruition. Honor thy father, walk in his shoes, by the sound of it that will get you far in this world.

RIP

 

I'm sorry for your loss Mac.
Condolences, I have no words.
This is a natural behavior. I hope I die before my child.

 

I'm really sorry Mac...I am.

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Your mom is a wise woman. 88 is a damn pretty good age to live to, and Alzheimer is one of the most cruel of the illnesses. If your brain goes, your spirit/soul goes with it. There is nothing more heartbreaking than seeing a parent not recognizing you or remember anything.

You were spared of that and he went rather quickly. So you should be thankful the way it happened, even if it hurts first....

 

I'm very sorry for the loss to you and your family.

I lost my dad to a freak accident. I don't think anything can prepare you for that regardless of age.
But just reading your short description makes my heart happy that you have such a strong family bond. I want that for my family some day.

A great man indeed.... You being Lucky? Maybe.
Maybe a little blessed also.:shrug:

 

the time to give up your exam paper is not so bad when you solved the questions well.

and in the paper of "life" your father just submitted, is the description of a legend.

being an engineer and a social person myself, i find your father's accomplishments worth great envy, he is one of the few current time inspirational characters i've ever read about.

my sincerest condolences.