A sad goodbye

My father passed away this morning. 9:30am Chicago time. When I got a call from the nursing home at 7:45am my time, I somehow knew this would be it. The call we all dread. And it was. The nurse said he wasn't alone and died very peacefully which is a good thing.

We're all feeling very sad and a bit numb, but he was so ready. My daughter did a beautiful post this morning about Dad. I'm not up to writing too much right now so I'll direct you there .

So many memories are flooding through my head today - some funny, some sad. I wish I could have seen him more over the past few years after he moved to Chicago. But I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with him. And I was able to talk to him on Thursday, even though it was only for a brief time.

When I was growing up my dad always told us he would probably die in his mid-50's like his father and grandfather. But we were able to have him in our lives 30 more years then he thought! He just turned 85 last June. I put some photos on this post for Father's Day and they work well for today, also.

I started this blog in part because of him. Seeing him so helpless the past couple of years made me realize how important it is to share our histories with our kids while we still can, and to keep the memories of our parents and grandparents alive. Rather than just try to write it all down in one huge document, Jenni suggested that I start a blog and write things down as they come to me. Which is what I've done. It's been fun and cathartic.


So, goodbye Dad. We'll miss you and your humor, your gruffness, your stories. Thanks for staying with us as long as you did. I love you.