Sunday, June 24, 2007

After church today I went over and picked Mom up...she wanted to go visit Dad. He was sitting up in his wheelchair in the dining room. I got two chairs for us and sat down to wait for his meal to arrive...mashed potatoes, gravy, sliced carrots, chicken fried steak, apple crisp, milk and water. Before dinner while we were waiting for the meal to arrive Dad said he was thirsty. He drank 3 glasses of water ..one right after the other. He ate most of his dinner and really seemed to enjoy the apple crisp.

After dinner I was wheeling him back to his room when he said "Wait" really loud. This was really strange as he hadn't been able to speak above a whisper at lunch. An aid came over and put his foot back up on the wheelchair footrest while I tried to understand what he was saying...something about getting a basket to take back. It didn't make any sense, so I just rolled him back to his room. He and Mom kissed goodbye...I picked out a golf game he could watch on TV...kissed him goodbye and then headed off to take Mom home. He wanted to lay down but the nurse told me that he had to stay up at least a half hour after eating.

I got Mom home and we had a frank talk about what plans she would need to make for her future. She has been resistant to do anything while Dad is alive. I explained to her that her life with Dad was over and that she needed to be somewhere with other people around. I told her that I was going to look at another assisted living facility in West Seattle. She agreed that I should look it over...which is progress.

Afterwards I went to buy some more outdoor pots and then met Pamela at the University Village street sale. Pamela showed me what she had found then took me over to her favorite shoe store. I found a couple of pairs of shoes that were 70% off...so we bought them. Pamela needed to eat some lunch so we went over to an Italian restaurant we like there. We were sitting there drinking water and deciding on something to nibble on when my cell phone rang. It was the nurse telling me that she was sorry but that my Dad had passed away. They found him slumped in the wheelchair where I had left him. I told her I would be there right away.

While we were walking to our cars I phoned Mark to tell him that Dad had died. I also phoned my best friend and asked her to come with me. Pamela headed out to pick up my Mom. We all gathered at the nursing home. I am a task oriented person so after kissing Dad's forehead I began packing his things. I also trimmed his mustache and shaved him.

Once Mom arrived she and I sat looking at Dad. I could tell that she was having a really hard time taking it in. She moved around the bed so she could kiss him. I sat with my head bowed and said a prayer thanking God for giving me such a great Dad...always there for me, always supportive, always in my corner.

We have made arrangements to have his body taken to Forest Lawn Cemetery. Mom brought a suit for him to wear. He will be cremated. Mom is asleep in the living room. Pamela made us dinner and she ate everything she was served. She says she is numb...I am too, but I keep thinking of things I need to do...things I need to take care of.....in this way, I am very much my Father's daughter. He took care of things his whole life..and now he has gone to be with the Lord that he worshipped he whole life. Like Dad said more than once near the end of his life.."No one has ever come back complaining!"

Robert Terrill Corliss
January 27, 1920 - June 24, 2007