Mom packs the church to the rafters

I want to add to what Scott posted about Mom's funeral this past Saturday (Sept. 19). Grace Church was absolutely full of people who loved Eileen. Our thanks to Pastor Duane and the ladies who prepared a great luncheon. It was a fitting tribute to Mom and we know she would approve.
It was also rewarding to hear how much Mom impacted the lives of so many people. And, strange as it may seem on a day that we buried our mother's remains, we had a lot of fun reconnecting with friends and relatives. And we went through quite a bit of beer and other libations back at the house afterward.
Again, thanks to everyone who made a sad day go as well as it did.

A visit with Dad

Len and I and our respective families had a nice visit with Dad yesterday. Dad was having a good day and was as sharp as I had seen him in a f couple of months. His voice was sometimes strong and he seemed to be tracking with what we were saying and engaged in the conversation with some depth and concentration.

Dad asked about Mom and we again told him that she had passed away. We shared that she had been cremated and was buried at the cemetery at the plots they had purchased. He asked if cancer was cause.

We did not mention that the memorial was held over the weekend and feel that that is best left alone for now. The fact that Heidi, April and I were visiting likely stirred some curiosity and we explained that we were there to help get affairs in order such as fixing on the duplex and other estate affairs. Of course this is completely true and probably enough for now.

The Breck home is as good a situation as I can imagine for Dad an he seems to really be enjoying the staff there, joking with them regularly and responding to their care. He had been asking about how long he was going to stay there and one of the staff responded that they expect him to be there for quite a while. I believe that Dad is responding so very much better with the good and caring care he is getting that, yes, indeed, we can expect him to be with us for a good while yet, and having many good days.

Please feel free to visit Dad at the Breck facility. He seems to be able to enjoy that now. Just call ahead to make sure he is up to it that day(612) 702-8801.

Peaceful Sunday

I know I speak for all of us lads and our families, we are so grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have been showered with over the last weeks and again during the celebration of Mom's life over the weekend. You all meant so much to Mom and she loved the lot of you.

We were not so surprised that a celebration of Mom's life might attract a couple hundred people. She clearly had touched us all with her determination and graciousness. However, we sure were gratified to enjoy it with you, tears and all. Peace my friends. Peace.

Post-funeral gathering

After the brief burial ceremony at the cemetery on Saturday, we will host a get-together at Mom and dad's house in Columbia Heights for friends and relatives who would like to socialize more than was possible at the church. We can't promise the kind of spread Mom would have put out but we will have light refreshments and perhaps some sandwiches, etc.

A nice visit with Dad

Len, Kerry and Julia visited Dad at Breck Home on Saturday, 9/12. he was doing very well, all things considered. He seemed pretty content and was very talkative. He certainly isn't the same old guy anymore but he was having fun talking about old time music and his kids attempts at playing it. He also seems pretty quick with a joke and still has a bit of the old spark.
We also met with hospice care and it seems that Dad qualifies. He'll get some additional services from Medicare that way.
If you would like to visit, just let us know. We can give you directions, etc. It's very important to check with Breck Home nurses before visiting to make sure Dad is having a good day. Otherwise he may not recognize you. We are trying to keep "commotion" to a minimum because that seems to trigger Dad's anxiety but he would love to have you go see him and so would we.
By the way, the picture is of Dad dancing with nurse "George," who is not a man despite the nickname.

Charlie's days

On Saturday, 9/5/09 I visited with Charlie. He seemed a bit anxious and was asking to leave. He wanted to go see the ocean somewhere. We talked about Breck and the nurses there and he seems to like it. By the time I left, however, I could see that he wasn't quite right. I spoke with the nurse on duty and she agreed that his day had been a bit different.

Kerry and I received a phone call from Jennifer Morgan at Breck on Monday morning, 9/7/09. Jennifer said that she was unable to wake him, he had a slight fever and once he did wake up a couple hours later was unable to get out of bed. We drove up to visit Charlie in the afternoon and he was still in bed. His temperature was 100.1 degrees and he seemed very agitated. These symptoms, however, we have seen before and Charlie had gone to the hospital in August because of them. The doctors ran many tests only to state that this is late stage Parkinsons Disease and they may become more frequent over time. Therefore, Jennifer, Kerry and I sat with him and kept him as comfortable as possible to ride out the storm.

By Tuesday morning, 9/8/09 Charlie was awake and feeling much better. He had a pretty "normal" day even taking a ride with the other 5 residents to go have ice cream! Looks like it's just part of the "roller coaster" of living with Parkinson's. Hopefully he will have more good days than bad.

Thanks for all of your continued support and love.

Eileen's Funeral arrangements set

Mom's funeral will be held Saturday, Sept. 19th at 11a.m. at Grace United Methodist Church. It's on the corner of Lowry and Cleveland Avenues in northeast Minneapolis.
Feel free to arrive earlier because we'll have lots of pictures from Mom's full life on display. If you have any photos you would like to share contact Len, Scott or Kerry.
After the service there'll be a lunch served in the church's community room. We plan to bury Mom's remains at 2p.m. at Morningside Memorial Gardens just off University Avenue in Coon Rapids.
Everyone is welcome to join us for the interment and/or for a gathering at Mom and Dad's house in Columbia Heights afterward.
For a map to the church, click here.
For a map to the cemetery, click here.