Mark E. Fenton I wish I had met you
Margaret's father passed away.
He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer less than a month ago. She went to go visit him just before we moved and just before he was diagnosed (he had been in the hospital with walking pneumonia prior to that...and then began the battery of tests...ending in them taking a biopsy of his lung...they found spots), she said he didn't look good. The doctors gave him less than a year. He went for a second opinion shortly thereafter and THEY gave him less than three months. That was approximately two weeks ago.
I am honestly astounded at how quickly this disease took him down. She saw him literally four weeks ago...and talked to him on the phone after that, like three weeks ago. And now he's gone.
I just came back from dropping her off at the airport, the funeral is actually today.
The kicker of the whole thing is that her brother is...to put it mildly, a jerk.
Her father died on Tuesday and thanks to her uncle John (her father's brother) didn't find out about this until yesterday...a whole THREE days later. He didn't even realize he was the first to break the news to her. Her brother (who she has been estranged from for many years...they do NOT get along) withheld the information intentionally so she would not go to the funeral. Nice try asshole. She's going and she has every right to be there, she is his daughter, his ONLY daughter. Now is NOT the time for family politics. Have a little fucking respect.
It so hard because M was only recently working to rebuild a relationship with her dad. They had been a estranged for a few years. I am so glad though that she got to visit him that one last time and that they spoke on the phone. It is clear to me that they do love each other deeply, that while they did have a checkered and iffy past, they could move forward and absolve each other of any wrong doing.
I am deeply saddened by Margaret's loss. And it is unfortunate that I never got to meet the man that had a hand in creating the love of my life. I have a feeling they share a lot of the same characteristcs and traits (since Margaret is nothing like her mother). No longer being able to discern what those traits would have been makes me profoundly heavy-hearted and very tearful. I wish very much that I would have gotten the chance to meet him.
If I had it to do over again (or just plain do at all) I would say to him these words:
Thank you for having such an amazing daughter, for whom you should be immensely proud. Know that I will love and take care of her all the days of my life.
Obituary here:
http://www.legacy.com/SBSun/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=118969161
He was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer less than a month ago. She went to go visit him just before we moved and just before he was diagnosed (he had been in the hospital with walking pneumonia prior to that...and then began the battery of tests...ending in them taking a biopsy of his lung...they found spots), she said he didn't look good. The doctors gave him less than a year. He went for a second opinion shortly thereafter and THEY gave him less than three months. That was approximately two weeks ago.
I am honestly astounded at how quickly this disease took him down. She saw him literally four weeks ago...and talked to him on the phone after that, like three weeks ago. And now he's gone.
I just came back from dropping her off at the airport, the funeral is actually today.
The kicker of the whole thing is that her brother is...to put it mildly, a jerk.
Her father died on Tuesday and thanks to her uncle John (her father's brother) didn't find out about this until yesterday...a whole THREE days later. He didn't even realize he was the first to break the news to her. Her brother (who she has been estranged from for many years...they do NOT get along) withheld the information intentionally so she would not go to the funeral. Nice try asshole. She's going and she has every right to be there, she is his daughter, his ONLY daughter. Now is NOT the time for family politics. Have a little fucking respect.
It so hard because M was only recently working to rebuild a relationship with her dad. They had been a estranged for a few years. I am so glad though that she got to visit him that one last time and that they spoke on the phone. It is clear to me that they do love each other deeply, that while they did have a checkered and iffy past, they could move forward and absolve each other of any wrong doing.
I am deeply saddened by Margaret's loss. And it is unfortunate that I never got to meet the man that had a hand in creating the love of my life. I have a feeling they share a lot of the same characteristcs and traits (since Margaret is nothing like her mother). No longer being able to discern what those traits would have been makes me profoundly heavy-hearted and very tearful. I wish very much that I would have gotten the chance to meet him.
If I had it to do over again (or just plain do at all) I would say to him these words:
Thank you for having such an amazing daughter, for whom you should be immensely proud. Know that I will love and take care of her all the days of my life.
Obituary here:
http://www.legacy.com/SBSun/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=118969161