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Thank You
It was two weeks ago today that I lost my dad, Patrick D.Smith. Dad had been bedridden for quite awhile and still had all his wits just no legs that would work. He was in the hospital in December at Christmas because he had a problem breathing and they found out he had lung cancer but the cancer had not started in his lungs but we never found out where it did start. My dad told me in the hospital that he had 4 weeks left and it is strange, but he died exactly 4 weeks later in hospice at Courtenay Springs. Hospice was kicking him out because he was eating and alert and they said he did not belong there. Never knew this but Medicare will only pay for 10 days in a hospice and if you don't die in those 10 days, you have to either go to a nursing home or back home. We had arranged for dad to have 24 hour care at home since it had become very hard on mom getting up throughout the night with dad.
Just the day before he died, he was ordering me around like he did (not in a mean way) to get him a banana and some vanilla ice cream which I did. I got his water glass the way he liked it and a pitcher of ice for later. When my brother and mom went to see him that Sunday, he was having a very hard time breathing and he told Rick that he was dying. The nurse said he wasn't but after a time, realized he was. They tried to move him into a private room but didn't but he died peacefully with his family and good friend Jim Stone with him. We had a private funeral for dad and he was put into his vault since he always told me that he didn't want to be buried underground nor burned but wanted a vault for him and mom and that is what he had.
My brother is still doing his February tour on daddy but has a break next week and on Sunday, Feb. 16, there will be a Celebration of Life for my dad. It is at 2 pm and is open to the public. Governor Scott called me himself to tell me how sorry he was about dad and hopes to come depending on his schedule. Governor Scott had recently been at my parents house to give day an award he had gotten.
Even though dad was 86 and had failing health, you are never prepared to lose one of your parents. I was blessed to have him as long as I did but because of his works, dad will live on for a very long time. He was truly a good man.
If you would like to come to the Celebration of his Life, please e-mail me (racingjls@aol.com) for directions where we are having it. We were offered the King Center in Melbourne but decided it was too much like a show theater and not a place to celebrate such a good man.
Also, my mom, brother and I thank you all for the kind words. It means more to us than you know.
Jane
Just the day before he died, he was ordering me around like he did (not in a mean way) to get him a banana and some vanilla ice cream which I did. I got his water glass the way he liked it and a pitcher of ice for later. When my brother and mom went to see him that Sunday, he was having a very hard time breathing and he told Rick that he was dying. The nurse said he wasn't but after a time, realized he was. They tried to move him into a private room but didn't but he died peacefully with his family and good friend Jim Stone with him. We had a private funeral for dad and he was put into his vault since he always told me that he didn't want to be buried underground nor burned but wanted a vault for him and mom and that is what he had.
My brother is still doing his February tour on daddy but has a break next week and on Sunday, Feb. 16, there will be a Celebration of Life for my dad. It is at 2 pm and is open to the public. Governor Scott called me himself to tell me how sorry he was about dad and hopes to come depending on his schedule. Governor Scott had recently been at my parents house to give day an award he had gotten.
Even though dad was 86 and had failing health, you are never prepared to lose one of your parents. I was blessed to have him as long as I did but because of his works, dad will live on for a very long time. He was truly a good man.
If you would like to come to the Celebration of his Life, please e-mail me (racingjls@aol.com) for directions where we are having it. We were offered the King Center in Melbourne but decided it was too much like a show theater and not a place to celebrate such a good man.
Also, my mom, brother and I thank you all for the kind words. It means more to us than you know.
Jane