Since I'm on a roll...

First, I found out last night that my father's dear friend had passed away. Apparently my dad had been thinking a lot about him this month, and called him on Tuesday. He never married and lived alone. A woman answered the phone. My dad asked if he had reached Dick's apartment. The woman said yes, but that he had died that morning. So sad. My parents are at the wake tonight and will be at the funeral tomorrow.

Second, I never had grandfathers. Both had passed before I was born. So when I married DH, I got both a grandmother and a grandfather in the deal. Six years ago, Granddaddy had bypass surgery; this was around the time that B was born. He never fully recovered from the surgery but was able to be home to recuperate. We brought B up to Rhode Island to meet her great grandparents in early August. Granddaddy's leg wounds were weeping, and he was half the man he had been the year before. All he did was sit in his recliner and stare at the ocean. He had no energy, no appetite; nothing. He was doing poorly during our visit, and was rushed to the ICU the day after we returned home. So we drove back to RI from PA. Once it seemed that he was stable, we returned home on a Friday or Saturday because we had B's christening scheduled for that Sunday. Grandaddy's kidneys were failing and he was receiving dialysis. He was transferred from the local hospital to Beth Israel in Boston. In early September he was moved to a nursing home while he convalesced. Six years ago today his sons were en route to Boston to meet with the nursing home staff. He was not going to be able to stay there, and Granny, my FIL and DH's uncle were going to determine where Granddaddy was going to go. He wanted to be home in RI, looking out at the ocean from his recliner. However, before his family arrived at the nursing home, Granddaddy slipped away, making the decision himself.

B had just turned three months old and DH was on his way home from a business trip to Ohio. He called me from the road to see if I had heard anything about Granddaddy. I lied and said no because I was worried he'd be so upset he'd have an accident. As it turned out, he had gotten a speeding ticket in western PA; he was eager to get home and see his little punkin. Worse than receiving the news from Granny's sister was having to tell DH. That just broke my heart. Granddaddy was a US Army veteran, and DH played Taps at the funeral. I don't know how he did it, but he did, and it was beautiful.

Rest in peace Granddaddy on your sixth anniversary. And rest in peace Dick.