My Dad died a year ago today on his Father's birthday, my Grandfather was 87years old when he died, my Dad was 96 years old when he died. Dad outlived all of his siblings. Wilbert was 77, Hugo 73, Jalmer 42, Ervin 59, Oscar 56, Arthur 23, Adolf 76, George 74, Einard 6 months old, Marie 82, Andrew 67, Arnold 59 and Anna 85. Yes it was a family of 14 children. Other than World War II and an infant death they all died of heart attacks or cancer except for Uncle Adolf he died of undiagnosed Celiac Disease. My Dad was a cancer survivor...he survived it for 37 years...he also had Celiac Disease....but Dad died from late stage dementia and a form of blood cancer.
No one else in Dad's family had dementia...but then no one lived as long as Dad. Dementia is a slow death that is incredibly hard on everyone.
My Dad is on the far left in the double breasted suit. This photo was taken in June of 1953 when my Grandmother died of a massive heart attack at the age of 64. Everyone is present except for Arthur who died in WWII and Einard who died as a baby. My Aunt Senia is in this photo in the white suit...she was married to my Uncle Wilbert.
I have many good memories of my Dad, those are the times I choose to recall when I miss him.
Far Side
18 comments:
You have wonderful memories of your Dad, and the entire extended family. The pain of the loss tempers over time especially when we focus on the good memories.
I realized as I was reading this post, that we buried my mom 20 years ago today. She was only 74 but the damned cancer is what took her from us.
It's good to be able to enjoy the good memories. We have similar family photos with large groups as families were bigger in those days. My MIL was one of 12 kids. My mom and dad both had 6 siblings.
I am always amazed at the huge families of yesteryear compared to the small ones that are standard today. I think it would have been quite grand to have been raised in an old farmhouse with 13 other siblings running around.
That's a big family!
The loss of a parent always feels like it happened yesterday. I am so glad you have so many happy memories with your dad. I will always remember your bingo outings and how much he enjoyed them.
Your photo of him with his siblings is a wonderful treasure.
We always remember out parents on their birthdays and their date of death. 14 in a family is a much different family.
There are a lot of long-lived siblings in the family aren't there? That is a great photo of them all. It's too bad it was from when their mother had died. You are so blessed to have had your Dad for as long as you did. I lost both of my parents before I was 30 and life was never the same.
Blessings and love,
Betsy
May his soul rest in peace. 96 is a good age! Ted's dad is 91; my dad died at 83 and my mom at 79. None of my mom's siblings made it to 80. Hmmm, I guess I'm in the danger zone on her side of the family!
Your dad's side of the family are a good looking bunch, looks like those genetics have carried on down through the generations.
Was a really big family. That's a precious family photo! :)
I can't believe it's been a year already. What a beautiful family and so glad you have a photo of all of them together.
Dementia sure is a terrible disease. Treasure the good memories you have of your Father.
It's good to have happy memories of your dad. There seems to be good genes in the family, most lived a long time.
What a big and wonderful family your dad had. Condolences on the anniversary of your loss.
What a great family picture and oh BOY did all your Dad's family look alike !! It is so obvious this is one big family!!! Yes, I know what a loss it is when we lose our parents; my Dad passed at 90 in 2018 (5 yrs ago in Aug 2018) and my Mom just 14 months later in 2019 (4 yrs ago, 11/8/2019) and I was just thinking the other day, sadly, that I miss them so much during the holiday season. Both my parents loved the holidays (Thanksgiving through New Years) and it was our favorite seasons as a family too, from autumn fall colors and nights with hot apple cider to toboggan runs and sledding and ice skating, oh my ! Yes, it is those memories of our loved ones that give our hearts a little squeeze, especially for me this time of year... Enjoy those memories... Dawn Pinnataro Albany, GA
Good memories are a treasure.
I love your old family pictures and your memories. God bless your Dad.
Missing parents is the toughest. My Grandmother lived until 98 and she ended up with dementia too. Grandpa went early with what could have been dementia but they didn't know what to call it back then.
My mom will be 90 and is still apparently living on her own and taking care of things.
Sigh.
Tough.
I miss my dad every Christmas.
My dad was from a family of 10 siblings and his dad was from a family of 14. It is amazing to see all those there and he different lives they all lived.
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