Left Friday the 30th for Kentucky to take care of my mom for a few days. She had to have emergency surgery for a ruptured ulcer. Just the week prior dad fell and had to have 11 staples in his head. After leaving the VA, they had to take my dad to a home. His alzhimers had gotten to the point that mom could no longer take care of him, he couldn't do anything for himself, knew no one, had dwindled down to 118lbs(this from a man that once was a 6'4", 240 brick block who was never sick a day in his life), etc. My mom had been taking care of him at home for the last 18 months and she was completely worn down to nothing.
On Tuesday, I got a call from St. Catherines that he was unresponsive. My brother and I made the 1 1/2 trip to Indiana in about 50 minutes. Luckily there was light traffic and no cops on I65. When we got there, he was laying in his bed, un-responsive and breathing very shallow. We sat with him for about 20 minutes. I didn't think he could hear me, but I hoped he could. I couldn't speak. Seeing my Dad laying there like that just tore my guts out. Dad and I always had a connection where he seemed to know what I was thinking, so I just sat there and kept telling him in my mind that I loved him, and that it was OK to go home. At 7:45 PM December 4th, he took his last breath. He would have been 81 on Dec 30th.
My dad taught me everything. How to shoot, hunt, trap, fish, work on cars, sharpen a knife, to be responsible, and a million more things. He was my hero my entire life. No way I could ever explain what he meant to me.
Rest in peace Dad. I love you.
