KnitAffinity

It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you, my friends, of my dad’s death on Saturday, August 4, 2007 in Statesboro, Georgia. He was a healthy man, so it was very unexpected. They think that he probably had an abdominal aortic aneurysm that dissected, or burst, and he bled out internally into his abdomen. Other than some mild pain he’d been having over the previous 24 hours, he suffered very briefly, probably less than an hour. He has said many times that he did not wish to suffer for a long time when it was time for him to go, and he didn’t. My dad is from a very long-living family. Both of his parents were in their 80’s when they passed away, and he left behind a brother who is 82 now, as well as four other siblings. He was next to the youngest, at 67 years old. I thought my dad would be around for years to come, and I am still in shock. I’ve lost my dad just weeks before my own birthday of August 16th.

My dad loved to make people laugh, and didn’t have a mean bone in his body. He would do anything he could for anyone. He was kind and gentle, loved animals, loved life, and loved his family. He was a true gentleman – a gentle man.

His funeral was yesterday, August 7, 2007 in Nashville, Georgia, where he lived for the last three years of his life. The funeral was full of tears and laughter, and great honor to my father. He had a military funeral, with the flag ceremony and presentation of arms. I am quite sure he felt very honored.

I don’t know how I’m going to manage without Dad. He was my best friend, my confidante, and my strength. He was my hero! And I still cannot believe that that great man is gone. But to honor him, I will go on, and I will do my best to make him proud.

Dad, if you can hear me, I love you so much! Please help me stay strong…

Edit:
If anyone wishes to contact me directly, my e-mail address is cveale AT mchsi DOT com. Replace AT with @ and DOT with a period.