It's odd that I can't determine how I feel. I guess I'm sad, but I'm not weepy or devastated. I'm not "relieved"--he was in a nursing home but wasn't a burden to himself or others. I last saw him just a couple weeks ago.
His mind had slowed down a little bit in the last couple years but he was still sharp as a tack. His memory was fine, it just took him longer than usual to recall things. No dementia at all. At 101.
I guess I'm just accepting what was clear. In the last couple weeks his physical health had gone down, and even his memory slipped--that was the trigger for me that he was near the end. He went into the hospital a couple days ago with pneumonia-like symptoms.
Happy trails, grandpa. I'll remember you as you were in this picture, at your birthday party last spring.
Sorry to hear it ... 101 is a good long run, though. That's when my last grandparent died, too.
ReplyDeleteMay he Rest in Peace...you made him proud man.
ReplyDeleteMy condolences...
ReplyDeleteThe memories will keep him alive in your heart. God bless you and your family, Darren.
ReplyDeleteMay you Grandfather rest in peace and may he always be in your heart.
ReplyDeleteSorry, bud.
ReplyDeleteMy dad died this year at 91 of pneumonia, but his regression seems similar to your grandfather's, all is fine until a month or so close to the end. Mind still sharp 'till the end, but the body just begins to slow down and with just a quick infection, his breathing deteriorated after a few weeks in the hospital and he died because he was too weak to cough up the bacteria as it filled his lungs. He had trouble swallowing and eating for a couple years too. I do wish he had 10 more years though, so that he could reach 101 too, maybe even witnessing grandchildren, but I concede that even 91 is an amazing age to reach, 101 is a fantastic amount of time to live! It's tough because I'm 22 so that means the majority of my life will be without my father, but the amount of knowledge and the lessons that I've learned from him should last me a lifetime. I bet your grandfather lived an amazing life and witnessed tons of changes in the world, just as my dad did and talked to me about so much. So much can be learned from the elderly if we remember to listen to and talk to them. What they take for granted as personal memories, sometimes the little things we can learn from, like asking about daily life in the 1930s for instance. Take care Mr. Miller :-)
ReplyDeleteWow, Thomas, that's intense. Heck, I was in my 30s before I lost my first *grandparent*, and my parents seem like they have plenty of time to go. I trust you'll be OK.
ReplyDelete