Saying Goodbye
Werner John Bigalke
Born January 28th, 193?
Died April 11, 2007
Married for 45 years to Corrine Bigalke.
Father Of 3 Women.
My grandfather
On Sunday, while we were having a family get together for easter/our wedding I received a phone call from my ex-step mother. She was calling to tell me that her father had another stroke and that they were placing him in Hospice care. She told me that right now he’s pretty much gone anyways. He signed a DNR only a few months before that and therefore it was only a matter of time. I took it pretty hard but knew there were several people there for my New husband and I so I put my tears on the back burner. I did cry on and off for a couple of hours. But that was it.
This morning, as I was about to leave for my doctors appointment, I received a call From Michelle yet again. I knew what it was when she called considering it was only 7:30am there time. He went quick and painlessly. He will be cremated this weekend, and everyone will say their goodbye.
I have a lot of mixed feelings when it comes to that family. Michelle’s sister and father were my two favorite ppl in that family. I was raised that step family are still family. That is how I would like it to be with my step daughter.
My dad and I are afraid that Michelle’s mom will not last long now. She’s already in bad health and after loosing the man she’s been married to for 45 years, I don’t see things getting too much better for her. She lost her daughter, my aunt Donna, To cancer about 5 years ago now. I understand that death is inevitable. But that doesn’t make it any easier.
Werner was an awesome guy. He was a welder for FMC (they build the Army Tanks) for 20 years. He loved to be a goof off. He had nicknames for my brother and I. I was Kalf -in-flanker and Perry was Perr-a-quat. He would drag me all the way across a store telling me to hurry, not telling me where he was taking me. Then, he would find a rack of Blue corn chips and tell me “Sing, dance, tell them jokes so they won’t be blue anymore.”
He introduced me to a group called “The Irish Rovers” They were famous for “the Unicorn song” and
“Lilly the pink”. When it was just grandpa and I in the car he would put in the tape and we would turn
it way up and sing, together. Last night, that song and memory came into my head. But the final
verse of it is stronger than normal right now.
Lilly died and went up to heaven;
All the church bells they did ring.
She took with her medicinal compound...
Hark! - the herald angels sing!
When that verse came on all the sillyness would calm,
we sing the verse so seriously and then crack up again when the chorus came on. *sigh*
Good memory. He had the most aweome sense of humor. He loved to crack up jokes and make people laugh with his stories. He had a wonderful heart. His birthday was always celebrated on super bowl sunday with family and lots of food! He was a spoiler and a really good man.
So, now I’m playing the song. Thinking of him and trying to remember the good.
I had 2 grandfathers and 2 step-grandfathers. Both non step died, one 12 yrs ago, the other about 7. My other step grandfather (not counting my stepmothers dad) I’m not really close to like I was close to Werner for those 7 years. Some might say it's odd to still consider him family as I do, specially considering my father remarried 9 years ago. But he'll always part of my family.
So. Here you go grandpappy old reliable.
Lilly the Pink
We'll drink a drink - a drink
to Lilly the Pink - the Pink - the Pink,
The savior of the human race!
she invented medicinal compound,
Most efficacious in every case.
Now here's a story, a little bit gory,
A little bit happy, a liitle bit sad,
Of Lilly the Pink and her medicinal compound
And how it drove her to the bad.
Well Ebenezer thought he was Julius Ceasar,
So they put him in a home,
And then they gave him medicinal compound,
And now he's emperor of Rome.
Chorus
Reddy Clinger the opera singer
Could break a glass with his voice, they said.
Rubbed his tonsils with medicinal compound,
And now they break glasses over his head.
Johnny Hammer had a te-te-terrible stammer -
He could hardly sa-sa-say a word!
And, so, they ga-ga-gave him medicinal compounds,
And now he's see-see-seen, but never heard.
chorus
Uncle Paul he was very small - he
Was the shortest man in town.
Rubbed his body with medicinal compound,
And now he weighs only half a pound!
Lilly died and went up to heaven;
All the church bells they did ring.
She took with her medicinal compound...
Hark! - the herald angels sing!
Chorus