Yesterday was the day
As I previously posted, they unhooked all of the machines and medicines from Grandpa about 230 yesterday. I got there at 515, right after work.Everyone was surrounding his bed, and his breathing was labored. Everything was taken off except the IV used to administer pain medicine.
We all stood around, I held one hand while my dad held another. We told stories about him, our favorite memories growing up. We talked about his addiction to chocolate and other sweets. We talked about all of their kids (my dad and his siblings) growing up in a house with no running water. We talked about him carrying an entire flatbed of 90# sacks of cattle feed on his back, one by one, back to the cattle pens at his dairy. We talked about how he would hold the babies every morning during breakfast. They had pancakes every day, and the babies would slop their hands in his syrup, he'd lick it off their fingers just to hear them giggle. He told my Grandma those giggles gave him the energy to work 16 hour days for 40 years.
At 6 pm my aunt, the youngest of their children, called the hospital. Due to an emergency in her immediate family she was unable to be there with us. She wanted to give her dad a message... She loved him, and would miss him for the rest of her life. Not more than 2 minutes later, Grandpa stopped breathing.
We all knew that was the end, and we started to cry.
Grandpa started breathing again, as if to say "See, it's not ok, you're not ready. No matter what you say, you're not ready to let me go".
Grandma asked us all to step out so she could be alone with him. She went to his bedside, kissed him, said she loved him, and told him goodbye. He stopped breathing again.
And that was it... 85 years of a hard life, 53 years of marriage, and too many memories to keep track of. A great man, a hard worker, a sweet daddy, a gentle grandfather, a loyal and loving husband.
The greatest man I've ever known passed away last night and nothing will ever be the same.
posted by ~ Amanda X&O @ 9:02 AM
Comments: 5
