Twenty Years Ago Today

 

Today is the 20^th anniversary of Pop’s death. He had gone into the hospital some days before for various health complications, arising from his (Lymphoma, I think?  I have a hard time remembering such unpleasant details, although they could be important for future health concerns). We had managed to get together on November 20^th to celebrate both his birthday and Thanksgiving in his hospital room. The hospital knew he was dying then, apparently, and wanted us to take him home; there was nothing they could do for him. We would have, but a flood earlier that year had knocked out our well, and we had no running water, so proper care was impossible; also, heavy rain at the time made transporting him problematic. We might have taken him home anyway if we knew how dire his situation was; it would have been nice for him to be in familiar surroundings. While we waited for conditions to improve, Pop passed away. Susan was with him at the end, comforting him in his final moments. When we boys returned to the watch from a lunch break, he was gone.