My Ninety-Six-Year-Old Friends Passed Away Last Week, After a Short Ailment.
This Writer’s Journey
This Is the Message I Had His Stepdaughter Read to Him the Day Before He Passed.
My ninety-six-year-old friends passed away last week, after a short ailment.
This is the message I had his stepdaughter read to him the day before he passed.
Hello Bob, this is your friend Roger here.
Thanks for allowing me into your life and for being my friend.
We met when you were having a tough time with Ruth’s unexpected condition. Life is not always fair, but you approach it with kindness to those around you. The way you cared for Ruth with love was an example of love for others to see.
Maybe you are nearing the end of life on this planet, or not. We will all know for sure when it is a done deal.
I will share with you my memories of the times we share in no certain order.
I recall golfing the first day I met you, you the pro, or that is what I thought, and me, well, the caddy kind of golfer. We laughed and had fun that day.
Later, I, the computer guy, thought maybe your wife could use a computer to help communicate after her stroke. It was an option but turned out not to be a very practical one.
I soon learned that you guys could benefit from my wife’s culinary skills. She typically made dishes for more than the two of us. We discussed packing food to take over for you guys. Presented that to you and you said yes. And the meals came too fast in the beginning, finally we worked out a schedule that met your needs. I was the delivery person and was so excited to see your face, and Ruthie’s, light up when I arrived.
I remember bringing steak and lobster for you and your wife. I was so excited to see the look on your faces; I was more excited that we could do this for you guys.
I know that at my current age I have a better view and clarity on this life’s journey than when I was younger; I am sure by now you have a much clearer view at your age, too. We should all aspire to be like you.
Thank you for inviting me to the day you picked up the Tesla. It excited Mike too that you invited him. It honored me to be there at that moment in your life. Thank you for those trips around town in the Tesla. I enjoyed helping you set up the garage door opener to work with your amazing new car.
We had great times together, fixing the tricky things that happened to your phone and computer from time to time. I know you were thankful, and I truly appreciated helping when I could.
The times we went for breakfast, or lunch at the base, or a restaurant in town. Each time I was around you, I learned bits and pieces of the events that happened in your life. You were never bitter about the any of events, simply reporting to me they happened. You always were upbeat and not angry at the world.
We shared multiple golf and bowling outings over the years. You were always in practice mode and looking to improve. I admired that and I think that kind of outlook on life keeps us looking forward to tomorrow.
With new electronic purchases, you were always looking for ways to embrace technology. I enjoyed helping you through those times when you needed just a little help to get things working the way you wanted. It was both fun for me and I knew every time I solved something I was as happy about it as you were.
I recall the time you wanted to move from the flip phone to a smartphone. I helped you achieve that. Later, another phone, and then back, we had fun moving your number to different phones. I was glad to be on that journey with you. It helped me think about how I too might think about the future. I think many people do not have access to spending time with older people; but they are the ones who miss those learning opportunities.
Fixing your computer or upgrading it, I was there, while waiting for the upgrades to complete. We had many of the most meaningful conversations and time just hanging out.
With the sharing of all the stories of your life and comparing those to mine, I knew we both had challenges, but different for the times. Some are similar as in children. I thought early on that I was unique to have an estranged child, and that it was a new thing when it happened to me. After hearing your stories and insight about you with three estranged children, it relieved me that others had experienced similar life events. I then learned that as times change, the events in life are more similar than different. People are still people.
I wish you the best on your journey to the next destination.
Cheers my Friend.
Here is a story about him when he was 94