My 99 YO FIL is now on his final journey.
This is a man born in August 1918, who came of age in the Great Depression and then served in the CBI theatre in the Second World War with the Army Air Corps.
He saw six children born as well as five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He also suffered the loss of his wife when she was only sixty as well as the loss of a son in his early twenties.
I've known the guy since 1981, having met him shortly after meeting the woman who would become my wife, she having apparently decided this before I did.
He was playing cards and speaking as recently as Monday, but then collapsed suddenly.
He was transported to hospital where he was found to have pneumonia as well as sepsis, the latter not very treatable in anyone, much less a guy of 99.
He was fully functional and even driving up until 95 YO, at which time he gave up driving on his initiative.
I visited him today and it was sad to see a once strong and vigorous man on a one way journey with no hope of reprieve.
He's pretty unresponsive now, but I grabbed his foot and spoke to him and he may have gotten what I said to him even if he couldn't respond.
I told him who I was, that I was glad to see him, that I hoped I had been a good husband to his daughter and that he had had both the privilege and the joy of having seen so much in his long and full life. In parting, I told him to rest easy.
Godspeed old man.
This is a man born in August 1918, who came of age in the Great Depression and then served in the CBI theatre in the Second World War with the Army Air Corps.
He saw six children born as well as five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. He also suffered the loss of his wife when she was only sixty as well as the loss of a son in his early twenties.
I've known the guy since 1981, having met him shortly after meeting the woman who would become my wife, she having apparently decided this before I did.
He was playing cards and speaking as recently as Monday, but then collapsed suddenly.
He was transported to hospital where he was found to have pneumonia as well as sepsis, the latter not very treatable in anyone, much less a guy of 99.
He was fully functional and even driving up until 95 YO, at which time he gave up driving on his initiative.
I visited him today and it was sad to see a once strong and vigorous man on a one way journey with no hope of reprieve.
He's pretty unresponsive now, but I grabbed his foot and spoke to him and he may have gotten what I said to him even if he couldn't respond.
I told him who I was, that I was glad to see him, that I hoped I had been a good husband to his daughter and that he had had both the privilege and the joy of having seen so much in his long and full life. In parting, I told him to rest easy.
Godspeed old man.
