Said goodbye to my dad tonight..

Skyrys62

Skyrys62

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Meet the Fokkers
He had been declining over the last few months and suddenly went down hill very fast.
I was on my way out to see him and my brother called saying that he let go.
We did manage to get the whole family there yesterday on Christmas and everybody talked and loved on him, so that worked out wonderfully.

He was born in 1925. He was to be 93 in Feb.
Raised through the depression. One of the hardest working men I ever knew, and a great provider.
Tough as rock on the outside, but all jelly when you broke through.

An honored member of the 101st Airborne division, 82nd battalion.
He served in the Army for 20 years through WWII, Korean, and Viet Nam wars.
A paratrooper, engineer and communications specialist.

He married 3 times. Said he fought more with them than the 3 wars.

I'm sad that I wasn't able to get him in the plane with me and take off down the runway he left for Viet Nam on. But, he knows I made Pilot, and he told me a few stories a while back about jumping out of old Cubs and stuff.

I'm gonna miss him.....even though he worked my tail off.
 
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Huge loss, nothing will replace him, but retain the memories.
and simply know he had his time and it was well spent.
 
Sincerest condolences for your loss. It was good that you and your family were with him at the end, and that he was able to spend another Christmas with his family.

He sounds like a great guy, and I’m sure he will be missed. And I thank him for all his service. His duty is done now and he is relieved. May he Rest In Peace.
 
Your Dad was one of the guys that saved the world. I'll send a prayer up tonight.
 
My sincerest condolences. When my father passed on and it was one of the hardest times of my life. He was also part of the Greatest Generation.
 
I'm really sorry for your loss. Just lost my 94 year-old dad on May 22 of this year. Was at Fort DeRussy 12 miles from Pearl Harbor when it was attacked. My wife and I moved back from Charlotte to Atlanta in January '14 to move in with my parents and take care of them because they got too old to live by themselves. He had been in a nursing home since July '16 after he fell and broke his hip. I went and spent time with him almost every day once he went in there. Saw him almost every day for the last 3 years of his life. That made it much harder when he passed. Thank the Lord that the morning he died a nurse called us and said it looked like he was 'transitioning'. My wife and I hurried to the nursing home and about 30 minutes after we got there he passed. It would have been very hard on me after spending the last 3 years with him to not have been there when he passed on. A huge regret is I never took him flying. It's hard for me to write this right now without crying. I really miss him.
 
Sorry for your loss. Keep the memories intact and share his stories often to whomever will listen.
 
I’m very sorry for your loss.

Reading this brings back a flood of memories when I lost my Dad. You too have memories to carry with you, and in time they will provide a smile or laugh as you recall them.

I’m thankful for his service. I wish you comfort and peace in your time of sorrow.
 
Very sad to hear this. My deepest condolences to you and your family. :(
 
Sorry for your loss. My deepest condolences to you and your family. He was a great man.
 
Condolences to you and your father. Sounds like an amazing man that lived a full life and had a few stories. This is one of those life events that you’ll think about daily for a long time...I cherish it as I think it has brought me closer to my father, as we weren’t so close when he was alive.

This has been a tough year for our family too. I was 7 months in to an 8 month deployment when I got the call from my wife that my dad was dying. Red Cross message came a couple of hours later and within 18 hours I was walking in to his hospital room in Myrtle Beach. Spent about 5 days with him before I had to start making my way back in to theater. He died a week later while I was in the Middle East on Easter Sunday. A week before Thanksgiving my stepmother (his second wife and mother to my brother and youngest sister) went into the hospital following a parententhesis error and died within 48 hours. I lost my dad and a woman that had been in my life since I was 15. My little brother (22-who’s wife was 8 months pregnant with their first child) and my little sister (18-who just graduated high school and started her freshman year of college) lost their mother and father within 7 months of each other. It’s been a tough one here too.
 
It sounds like your Dad lived a long and full life. I am sorry for your loss but it sounds like your family was able to be there at the end to say your goodbyes. My Dad was born in 1921 and passed in 2003. I still miss him a lot almost 15 years later.
 
Condolences.

Sounds like he had a long fruitful life.

"Going downhill fast" doesn't make it easy, for sure. But the alternative...my mom was 101 when she passed but the last 4 years were absolute hell for her. We prayed that she'd be taken for years before she was.

Again, condolences.
 
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Condolences. I can relate as my dad passed at 93. Marine in the Pacific WWII, then Air Force for 20 more years. Korean War vet also. Sounds like you have a lot of good and stern memories of your father. That generation went thru a lot, as you mentioned. A lot more than we have. Sorry for your loss.
 
Very sorry for your loss. Sounds like he had a full life and a loving family. Prayers for you and your family.
 
I'm very sorry, but glad you had a good, close relationship. I like his sense of humor too.

I make a family Christmas calendar every year. Dad opened his Christmas eve and was flipping through the months, got to July and I bet he looked at the picture for fifteen minutes. I'd found one from 1965 of his International pickup truck with the name of his construction company on the side. He flipped a few pages, "who is this?" My brother and I looked at each other. "That's grandpa."

"I don't remember him looking like that."

You have to know my brother and me. Mark said..."I hope it is. That's the guy that visited every year and brought us candy." I've never seen dad laugh so hard.

You've probably got a thousand memories. I hope you write some of them down.
 
Condolences to the OP, though in a big way he has no idea how truly fortunate he is. Papa Steingar died three decades ago, though his body didn't stop function until about two decades ago. By the time he went to the home he knew not who I was or anyone else for that matter. Didn't know where he lived, didn't know a damn thing. Or maybe he did, hard to tell since he had totally stopped talking.

Watched Mama Steingar go through pretty much the same damn thing a couple years back. First in our family to die of gas gangrene. Happy times. My relations seem to die very, very slowly in the most unpleasant fashion.

Yeah, the OP is actually quite fortunate, despite the tragic circumstances.
 
Condolences. I walked a similar road nine years ago. The hurt doesn’t go away, but the love, admiration, pride and honor become clearer and more powerful over time, and ultimately are all that matter.

Prayers for peace and strength for you and your family.
 
My dad's on a slow decline himself just before official senior age (less than 3 degrees). I am the farthest away from them of our immediate family. Makes you think.

My condolences.
 
I’m sorry to hear that. I lost both my parents some years back. It sucks.
 
Condolences on your loss.

I loss both my parents when I was younger. Both went very quickly (heart attacks) so did not have to deal with a drawn out situation. Doesn’t make it any easier.

We are now dealing with my in-laws. Father-in-law is 83 in a nursing home, and the mother-in-law is 90 living at home. I try to be as accomadating to my wife in her visits driving to see them. I know there is not much time left, and we try to make it a priority to allow them to enjoy life and family as much as they can at this point. When the time comes, I know it will be hard.

Thank you for your father’s service. They weren’t called the Greatest Generation for nothing. Tough, salt of the earth folks. Our generation and our kids, don’t know what sacrifice is all about. We’ve become soft.

God bless you and your family.
 
I’m very sorry. I still miss my dad terribly, but the memories get sweeter as time goes by. You dad sounds like one of the good ones.
 
Deepest condolences. We are both without our dads now and it’s still just strange. The pain fades, the memories remain.

Our nephew was assigned to the 101st recently. Your dad’s legacy will live on.
 
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Condolences. Not sure its ever easy. Lost my dad just about a month and a half ago way too young. But there is something to be said for dying at home with the ability to have family around. So for that my dad and yours were blessed.
 
So sorry for your loss. My dad too was a WWII vet. Truly the greatest generation.
 
Sorry for your loss,may He Rest In Peace.
 
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