We'd been planning a trip in June to Kentucky as soon as the kids got out of school to see family and possibly have a few days on Lake Cumberland. But sadly Dad's health declined faster than anyone expected. The day after the kids got out of school I hopped on a flight for home with Patrick who'd just been in Boston for work. That day, Dad had come home in the care of Hospice so I wanted to make sure I saw him before he passed. Bob and the kids drove down in a rental car a day later.
Luckily I made it home in plenty of time and Dad even held on to say goodbye to all the grandkids as well. There was one beautiful moment when we all crammed into his room, all together one last time.
And during those days, a stream of people came up to say goodbye to him and support the rest of us too with everything from Mexican food to desserts to toilet paper! It was really heartwarming to feel so supported during such a difficult and intense time.
On Sunday morning, four days after entering Hospice, dad was still hanging in there and mom decided to take a quick shower. I think maybe Dad wanted to give mom grief one last time, because that's the point at which his oxygen started to drop. As soon as she got out of the shower we called for her to come, knowing that it wasn't going to be much longer....so mom, having no choice had to say her final goodbye to Dad with *gasp* wet hair. It all just seemed really fitting and lightened the moment for a brief time. Around 11:30 on June 26th, dad passed away.
Later on that afternoon, we got all the arrangements made for a funeral on Friday, with a visitation on Thursday evening. The Kentucky Railway Museum thought the world of Dad and let us borrow the Jim Cantrell painting that he'd done of Dad working on the steam engine.
On Monday, we ran some errands, making sure everyone had shoes and clothes for the funeral. We also decided to pamper ourselves a bit, Maddy had her very first pedicure and I really don't think she was a fan! (Don't let that smile fool you!)
After everyone was situated for dress clothes, shoes and haircuts, we actually were able to keep the pontoon boat reservation that I had made for Wednesday (before dad had gotten really sick). It was really lucky for us that the timing worked out the way it did. It was so nice to have a day to relax before the funeral services, especially in a place that was so meaningful to Mom, Charlie, Katie and I while we were growing up. Lake Cumberland has so many good memories for us, and I felt Dad's presence everywhere.
Even slow, the pontoon could still pull a tube. And the "cooler" Amie went with Audrey and those two daredevils entertained us by attempting tricks on the tube.
Thursday was Dad's visititation at the funeral home. It was really well attended and I saw lots of people I hadn't seen in year and heard stories from KRM people that showed me a side of Dad I had never known before. And Anna Marie Culver reminded me that Dad had given her her very first ride ever in an airplane when he took me and my friends up for a joyride one day. It was such a gift to hear the positive effect he'd had on other people's lives.
The funeral was really nice as well. We buried dad in his favorite clothes...swim trunks and a polo, I thing he was always happiest at the lake. And Father Troy gave such a touching homily and the KRM blew train whistles all morning.
After the services and a luncheon at the Sherwood, we drove out to the hollow. It looked particularly beautiful.
It was a sad end to a really difficult few months, especailly for mom but I think we all did the best we could to make dad's last days and good as they could have been. And seeing the outpouring of love and support was really amazing as well.
So it was a sad trip, but we made some nice memories as well.
Rest in Peace Dad, we love you and miss you.
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