Worst "Good Friday" ever

[LibraLiz1973]

My grandfather died yesterday morning.
86 years old- unexpectedly.
He died in the house he loved.
Which is a blessing- he hated the hospital & had told us time and again that he did
not want to ever die in one. In all of his 86 years he had only ever been to a hospital twice.

I'm happy it was quick.. I'm so happy that he lived a long fantastic life.

But I'm just so lost. My grandfather was more than a grandfather- I called him dad. He was the one who took me to father/daughter school events, he was the one who was there when I was sick, he was the one I went on vacation with every summer, he was the one who put his foot down when I was a teenager, he was the one who bought me my first car, told me when he was proud, hugged me, told me jokes- taught me the value of working a job you love. Taught me to be loyal. Taught me how to be fun. I adored my dad. He's been getting frailer these last few years and I know it bothered him. But there were so many times when he was quick and on top of it, and still the daddy I grew up with.

I knew he would die some day...... I'm just so sad now that it's happened.

Death sucks

[dropkickpa]

1. I'm so sorry

:hug:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear LibraLiz...

Ah, sweetie........:hug:

My deepest condolences.....

Sudden death is so hard on the survivors.......No chance to say goodbye...

You will recover and go on, of course, but right now, your grief is sharp.

Take good care of yourself, OK?

I wouldn't even be surprised if you feel angry at him for leaving you so abruptly....

And that is perfectly normal, BTW...

I am so very sorry...:pals:

[Suich]

3. I'm so sorry for your loss, LiberaLiz.

He sounds like a great guy...

:hug:

[johnnie]

4. I'm sorry to hear this

:hug:

Please take care.

[gemdem]

5. Deeply sorry for your loss

:hug:

[sammythecat]

6. I grew up with my grandparents and my mother.

When I was 7 my father died and Grandpa became my "daddy".

I wish I had some comforting words of wisdom. I know of no quick remedy for the loss of a loved one. The only remedy, I think, is time. Persevere as best you can these next days or weeks and you'll gradually recover your strength. You won't forget, of course, but the bleeding will stop.

I'm very sorry to read your post and my sincerest sympathy goes to you.

[SeattleGirl]

7. I'm so sorry for your loss, Liz

:hug:

[TK421]

8. I'm sorry to hear the news....I wish I had the chance to know my grandfather

but he died in 1969...seven years before I was born. I always hear stories about him. I wish I had the chance to know him, but this won't happen. I feel your loss

[rockymountaindem]

9. My condolences

I remember the day my grandmother died. Ugh. :hug:

[SPKrazy]

10. I'm Sorry...

I've lost all four of my grandparents and one of my parents.

It is sad, and it is a realization of mortality and the sadness that entails. It's also an awareness of our own aloneness.

Sadness and grief suck.


:hug:

[UrbScotty]

11. May the memories outlast the pain.

:hug:

[grannylib]

12. I am so sorry to hear of your loss...it sounds as though you had a lovely

relationship with him, so of course you will miss him terribly. :hug:
May those happy memories sustain and comfort you as you learn to live without him...and may you find many ways to honor his memory and keep him close to you.

I get what I believe to be messages from both my dad and my daughter, letting me know they're there and OK and it's hard to explain...but I hope something similarly comforting will happen for you.

[marzipanni]

13. You really appreciated eachother, that is wonderful...your post brought tears

to my eyes. Since he hated hospitals, it would have been sad for him to struggle through the end of his life with a long illness. Yes, do take solace in that. :hug:
Was your grandmother still with him?

[LibraLiz1973]

14. My grandmother passed in June of 1999

We were also very, very close. I was really scared for a while there that he would die right away, just to go be with her.
They had never been apart for more than 4-5 days at a time... for 50 years. They were completely in love with each other and I used to tell them both in jest that I hoped they would some day go together.

He lasted for almost 8 years without her. That still surprises me. He did it because he had my aunt & her children to take care of- she was coming out of a nasty divorce and had moved home. My dad was a "care taker" through and through.

It gives me great comfort to know that they are together again.

[LibraLiz1973]

15. Thank you to all of you for your kind words

I'm doing ok. I feel such loss, but, I also feel the blessing of having had such an amazing man in my life. My biological father is an evil, terrible "man". That could have really changed the way I thought about men- but at the ripe old age of 53 my grandfather stepped in and took responsibility to help raise me & provide me with the best male influence humanly possible.

I was blessed to be raised by one of the good guys. A man who always put his family first. Along with his 4 children (and then me), he and my grandmother took care of over 50 foster children. He came from a poor family and was unable to graduate high school (by a mere 3 months) because he joined the Army for WWII. He became a success through hard work at a job he adored- working for the local news station. My Sunday dinners always included lively debates about news and current events. He voted in EVERY election- whether it was a local, a primary or a national. He believed we were well past the time when a woman should be President. He thought GWB was an embarrassment to our country. He recycled. He encouraged me to volunteer in the political process.
Alot of what I am today can be directly linked to my dad.

I give thanks for the number of years I had with him. I'm 33- I know many people who lost their grandparents long ago. I know I was extremely lucky and I am more than grateful for it.

I already miss him like crazy- but I really am comforted knowing he is back with his wife. He'd really been getting emotional about missing her lately... He said he could hear her whispering to him in the last few months. I knew it wouldn't be long before he left, I guess I just expected some kind of warning health wise. 99% of me is grateful that there was no warning, that it was quick because I know that is what he wanted. The other 1% wishes I had had a few hours to prepare. I was completely blown away when my mom woke me up Friday to tell me.

Thank you so much to all of you for the things you have said. I value this community & it touches me how wonderful you all are.

[GenDem]

21. He must have been a wonderful person.

WOW, you are so lucky to have had him in your life. Thank you for sharing the details of your relationship with him.

It means a lot to me, because I had a grandfather that meant the world to me, too. I lost him in 1976, and it was the biggest loss I've ever had.

I will be thinking about you over the next few weeks.

Bless you!

:hug:

[xchrom]

16. peace be with you -- liberalliz

and with those who share your loss with you.

i'm sorry to hear of your loss.

[hippywife]

17. I know it seems unlikely now

but the heartache will heal with time and give way to all the lovely memories. It will take a long time but it will happen. And still there will be those bittersweet moments when he will come to mind, times of personal importance that you will wish him there to witness and share.

Allow yourself to feel the pain of the loss and then allow the healing to come.

I've felt your pain and wondered how I would ever survive it. I promise that you will. Your loved one will have it no other way and his memories will make it easier for you along that path.

Wishing you much healing and comfort in the coming days.

[shanine]

18. so, so sorry LibraLiz

:hug:

[GenDem]

19. Oh, I am so profoundly sorry

That's a real bummer.
Sending you warm thoughts and condolences on this sad holiday.
:hug:

[QMPMom]

20. I am so sorry.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

[undeterred]

22. I'm sorry

Big hugs to you. :hug:

[Hugin]

23. Tragic news...

x(

[RFKHumphreyObama]

24. My sincere and heartfelt thoughts, prayers, condolences and sympathies

To you and your family over the loss of my grandfather. He sounds like a wonderful man and you were fortunate to have spent so much time discovering the person he was and developing a relationship with him that I know that you will cherish for the rest of your life. You were blessed to have a person such as him in your life and I'm sure he felt the same way about you

My sincere and heartfelt thoughts, prayers, condolences and sympathies to you and your family once again:hug: :hug: :hug: