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bunchofgrapesMy great uncle Ned passed away last night. He was in his early 90’s and had dementia but he was my grandfather’s oldest brother and his death made me very sad.
My parents divorced when I was 4 and my dad moved away. Except for a few visits whenever he came into town, I don't recall spending any kind of time with my dad until I was 9. With my dad missing from my life, my grandpa became my father figure and I adored him. He passed away when I was 13 and I was devastated. To this day I have never cried as much as I did then and I've always sort of felt like I used up 75% of all my tears that day.
I'd never met my uncle Ned before but when he came to the funeral, I couldn't get over how much he looked and sounded like my grandpa. I was completely taken by him so naturally, I latched onto him for the remainder of his visit. I'm sure he had no idea why. He lived in CA so after the funeral, he went back home and I never saw him again. But at some point, when I was in college maybe, I started getting a Christmas card from him and his wife. So for many years we exchanged Christmas cards. Two Christmases ago I got a card from my aunt explaining that uncle Ned's dementia had gotten very bad and that my aunt could no longer care for him at home so he was being moved into a nursing home.
I saw that he had passed away on my 2nd cousin's Facebook and it has hit me harder than I ever thought it would. It wasn't really uncle Ned's death that makes me so sad. It's because I remember him from my grandpa's funeral and that makes me miss my grandpa all over again.
Oh, and if it weren't enough that uncle Ned passed away, eight days ago, his younger sister, my aunt Velma, passed away and at work, also yesterday, a good friend's uncle passed away. What is it about deaths in the months of November and December?
My parents divorced when I was 4 and my dad moved away. Except for a few visits whenever he came into town, I don't recall spending any kind of time with my dad until I was 9. With my dad missing from my life, my grandpa became my father figure and I adored him. He passed away when I was 13 and I was devastated. To this day I have never cried as much as I did then and I've always sort of felt like I used up 75% of all my tears that day.
I'd never met my uncle Ned before but when he came to the funeral, I couldn't get over how much he looked and sounded like my grandpa. I was completely taken by him so naturally, I latched onto him for the remainder of his visit. I'm sure he had no idea why. He lived in CA so after the funeral, he went back home and I never saw him again. But at some point, when I was in college maybe, I started getting a Christmas card from him and his wife. So for many years we exchanged Christmas cards. Two Christmases ago I got a card from my aunt explaining that uncle Ned's dementia had gotten very bad and that my aunt could no longer care for him at home so he was being moved into a nursing home.
I saw that he had passed away on my 2nd cousin's Facebook and it has hit me harder than I ever thought it would. It wasn't really uncle Ned's death that makes me so sad. It's because I remember him from my grandpa's funeral and that makes me miss my grandpa all over again.
Oh, and if it weren't enough that uncle Ned passed away, eight days ago, his younger sister, my aunt Velma, passed away and at work, also yesterday, a good friend's uncle passed away. What is it about deaths in the months of November and December?
