Josh has Passed Away
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2020 6:23 am
All,
Unfortunately since I last posted about our personal lives, my dad’s health deteriorated quickly. My mom checked him into respite (sp?) hospice a week early and we all headed down the following day, his mother included. We had the opportunity to spend most of our waking hours with him, whether he was aware of it toward the end.
I don’t know if he ever mentioned this here, but he is an excellent musician, with guitar having been his primary instrument, and the last day he was alive I played some of his own songs for him, and he definitely turned his head and had one eye fully open at me rather than half open.
Fellow musicians, support group sponsees, church members, family friends recent and far, current and former coworkers all visited and highlighted to us what a positive impact he’s had on the world. I wondered if he remembered that he directly and positively impacted hundreds of thousands of people, not just the dozens who were able to visit when they heard in time where he was staying, outward family communications were never our strong suit.
My dad passed away Monday morning when any diurnal person would be sleeping. My mom never spent a night away from the hospice room, so she let us know. We were able to say even more goodbyes and comfort eachother. It was comforting to know that his final hours were not really unlike anybody else’s, so the pamphlets the hospice doctor handed us could reassure us that they may not be suffering as much as we think they are. I know it helped me.
I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to grieve and accept while he was still around, so I could simply enjoy my time with him, but I don’t think I know how much I miss him yet. He was sweet as ever, and the last thing he said was to my mom, “I love you”
We are having a memorial service of course. If you are in the Houston, TX area next week, please send me a PM. I would be happy to share and am sure he would too.
Thank you,
Josiah
edit: added prefix "un-" to spell unlike
Unfortunately since I last posted about our personal lives, my dad’s health deteriorated quickly. My mom checked him into respite (sp?) hospice a week early and we all headed down the following day, his mother included. We had the opportunity to spend most of our waking hours with him, whether he was aware of it toward the end.
I don’t know if he ever mentioned this here, but he is an excellent musician, with guitar having been his primary instrument, and the last day he was alive I played some of his own songs for him, and he definitely turned his head and had one eye fully open at me rather than half open.
Fellow musicians, support group sponsees, church members, family friends recent and far, current and former coworkers all visited and highlighted to us what a positive impact he’s had on the world. I wondered if he remembered that he directly and positively impacted hundreds of thousands of people, not just the dozens who were able to visit when they heard in time where he was staying, outward family communications were never our strong suit.
My dad passed away Monday morning when any diurnal person would be sleeping. My mom never spent a night away from the hospice room, so she let us know. We were able to say even more goodbyes and comfort eachother. It was comforting to know that his final hours were not really unlike anybody else’s, so the pamphlets the hospice doctor handed us could reassure us that they may not be suffering as much as we think they are. I know it helped me.
I will always be grateful to have had the opportunity to grieve and accept while he was still around, so I could simply enjoy my time with him, but I don’t think I know how much I miss him yet. He was sweet as ever, and the last thing he said was to my mom, “I love you”
We are having a memorial service of course. If you are in the Houston, TX area next week, please send me a PM. I would be happy to share and am sure he would too.
Thank you,
Josiah
edit: added prefix "un-" to spell unlike