We were up early since we had to get Andrew off to school. I got to Outlook before 8:30. Shortly after I got there someone from one of the companies that rents equipment came in to get the bedside table that we were using. (Pam was pretty upset and wondered if they'd come get his bed before he was gone. I asked Gretchen later if she could find out what happened - since they didn't take it. Turned out that the table was rented by John Morton, who passed away a couple days earlier. When they found out that we were using it, they transferred the rental to Dad so that we could use it until he passed.) Pam wrote the obituary while we were there, using the info I had on my computer.
Not much happened all morning. Dad was a bit sweaty and we told the nurse. She came in and took his temperature. No fever; actually his temperature was dropping. I think it was about 94 then. When Rick came in, he said Dad was too warm and took the covers down some. I wished I could play music like I'd done the day before, but it seemed that every time I got it going that someone came in. It was difficult for us to talk while the music was playing anyway.
Pastor stopped by in the morning. He was heading out of town with his wife for an overnight away and told us to call him if we needed him. I didn't think we'd need him bad enough to call him away from his mini-vacation.
When Rick came in, he said he was going to suggest that a CC be called for Dad. He said that they had one available now and he could at least get things started for that. We had to ask what a CC was - a Continuous Care nurse. Rick said that he was just an LPN and they had to have an RN make the call and do the paperwork.
Ken came over later with Elizabeth. We waited around for awhile and then went to lunch at Bob Evans with Elizabeth. I asked Pam on the way over if Daddy lingered on and she had to leave and go back to CA, if she would feel bad. She said she would but she had to go back home Thursday morning. She had already planned to come out the following week - Thursday to Sunday. So we prayed that Daddy would not linger but that the Lord would take him Home.
We got back to Outlook and an RN from Odyssey had determined that the time had come for the CC nurse. There was a nurse there then and she asked a couple questions and kept checking on Dad while the other gal filled out paperwork for Medicare - about an hour's worth of paperwork.
We could see now some changes in Daddy's condition. He skin was mottled on his legs; they said it was up to his hips. He was on morphine and they were giving it to him about every half hour, I think. They put the oxygen on around 2:00.
The nurse asked if there was anyone else. I told her that it was just Pam and I. She said that if there was anyone else that wanted to be there, that we should call them because it wouldn't be long until Daddy passed. I called Ken at church. (He was playing ping pong with Luke and had Elizabeth there with him.) I called Melody in CA but just left a message for her. Then I called Mark but couldn't get him. Actually, he was already on his way over. We all went back into his room and the CC nurse came. She was very kind. She asked if we'd like music and she popped a tape into her cassette player and we put it on Daddy's bed. Pam put it by his waist but later I moved it up by the pillow. It was beautiful music - hymns. I think we went through the songs about 3x before Daddy went home. The nurse was very helpful and let us know what was "next." Elizabeth ended up falling asleep and Ken put her on a blanket on the other bed. They set a chair by the bed and she slept until things were over.
At 3:20 Ken and Mark had to decide what to do about the boys. Mark went to pick them up. I told him that if they wanted to come that it would be okay. It looked like this would be a very nice passing and not something they should be afraid of. Mark wasn't sure about it and I didn't think he'd be back. He told the boys and they wanted to come. Joshua told me later that at first he thought he wouldn't want to come, but then decided to come. The CC nurse gave the boys a booklet entitled "It's okay to be sad."
We had to leave the room for a bit at one point and I took the boys for a walk around Outlook.
Around 4:00 they took the oxygen off since it wasn't doing anything anymore. Daddy's face was getting blotchy and his respirations were so light. Joshua and Mark left about 4:15 or so. Joshua was so emotional that Mark thought it best for him to leave. Andrew stood over by the window and looked at the book, read the paper, and glanced back every so often. Pam and I were both at Daddy's side, Ken at my side, and Andrew at the foot of the bed when Daddy took his last breath. No gasp, no gurgle, just stopped breathing and no more heartbeat. The CC nurse said she believed, too, that he was gone but she had to check. She pronounced him dead at 4:35.
Andrew was crying and I left Daddy's side to talk with him. I told him that when I was little that I thought that you would see someone's soul and spirit leave the body and float up to Heaven. But, I told him, nothing changed. One moment he was here and the next he was in Heaven with God. Andrew cried but seemed to understand.
Later that evening, Andrew asked for the "paper they gave you from Great Grandpa's wall" - his life story from outside his room. He said he wanted to take it to school to show the kids since "they might not all know that he wasn't in his body anymore but was in Heaven." So, I got a picture from the September visit and put both papers in a plastic protector. That night he tried to share in his Eager Beaver class but "lost it." He didn't want the teachers to come get us but wanted to get it back together himself. He did. I did send a note to his school teacher to tell her that he'd been there when Grampa died and that he wanted to share it with his classmates. She thanked me for the heads-up. I heard that he did well sharing at school on Thursday.
They had us leave then while they cleaned the body. When we got back, he looked just the same, only his skin was so white and translucent. Daddy, Elizabeth and Andrew left shortly after that. Pam and I stayed and talked with Bruce (chaplain) and Gretchen (social worker), sharing stories. When we left, the undertaker was just coming in. Pam was glad to meet him and to talk with him.
Pam asked me on the way home if I was going to church that night. I knew that I had to; I needed my church family! She stayed home, made some calls, and went out for supper.
I was able to give a testimony during Prayer Meeting and talk with several afterwards, sharing what had transpired. I was so thankful that I knew where Daddy was, that he was no longer suffering, and that this "stage in our lives" was over.
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