July 4, 1930 – July 16, 2026
96 years old!!
I don’t know if anyone reads this who doesn’t know me in real life. Or even if anyone reads this. 😂
I’ve been thinking about writing something but waiting until I time to write something really good. But what does that even mean? I might post the obit later.
But here we go: what a life this man had.
At our last few healthcare visits I said: If a cat has 9 lives, Dad has 109 lives.
Quick list of things he survived: WWII as a child in Hamburg, Germany; colon cancer; heart attack; all kinds of mobility issues and hip surgery and then falling during the recovery; lost an eye to shingles; lost a leg to a complicated leg circulation thing; 3 bouts of pneumonia in 10 months.
He fought death hard. He wasn’t going out without a fight.
I had envisioned the end as this quiet time with all of us at his bedside. I had worried that the last stage would be drawn out because he was so tough.
But when it finally happened it was chaotic and quick and a surprise. He was surrounded by caregivers and we were trying to make him comfortable. Then he was gone.
And well done, Dad. You’d been through enough.
My dad gave me my love of soccer, particularly the World Cup. I first learned about the WC when West Germany was in the final in 1982. I don’t recall that I watched the entire match but someone had sent Dad a tape (?) of the game and we talked about it.
World Cup has been something we could bond over and enjoyed talking about.
The 2026 tournament was hit or miss for him because he was spending a lot of time in bed the last couple of months.
I went over for a match — I think it was England v Norway. He was in bed and said he didn’t feel well. I said, “I’m going to keep you company. I’m going to turn on the match.”
About 10 minutes later I heard, whump! behind me. He’d transferred to his wheelchair. He said, “Sweetie! Can you get me my hairbrush?”
I helped him get himself together and we watched the match. He wasn’t paying much attention to the teams but he enjoyed watching the play and goals. Too bad he missed that England v France match.
It’s been a long adventure. I would tell people he had a heart attack in 2010 and he’s been diminishing a grain of sand a day since then. He moved to be closer to us in 2019 and we’ve loved having him here.
Hard to believe he’s gone.
There is a Celebration of Life at his retirement home on Saturday. For the family celebration — it will be in California TBD.
But if you want to celebrate my dad — listen to some jazz, whip up cocktails, grill some steaks, and enjoy a laugh with people you love.
