He had cancer and for about the past 5 months was getting treatment. The treatment process was a roller coaster, he had his ups and more so, his downs. But even with all of the downs, we still had hope. However on December 24th, our hope was crushed. His scans came back that the cancer had spread to his liver, the doctor said he had 2 months to live. Just typing that last sentence brings tears to my eyes. I think about how he must have felt when he heard those words. There was nothing left to do. This amazing, strong, wonderful, 64 years young man was going to die.
We celebrated Christmas, but it was a Christmas that will never be forgotten. Our last Christmas with Pop, and we all knew it. From that day on he worsened tremendously by the hour. It was sad, it was awful, it was horrible. By the next week he was admitted into Hospice. What I saw on January 4th, in that room, will never leave me, it is almost unexplainable. How could I even begin to explain watching someone die, watching someone you love take their last breath. Watching my husband and mother in law who were the closest people in the world to him, have to watch this. Again, I can't explain it.
Pop took his last breath at 6:35pm on Friday January 4th. 11 days after he was told he had 2 months to live, he was gone.
{Memories - My Eulogy}
You know, I never thought when I took a job at my Uncles construction company 9 years ago that I would meet my soul mate. Or should I say my soul mates father? Because I met him first. Mike and I became friends, he would come into the office every morning and talk with me a little and make me laugh; I always looked forward to him walking through the door. Then I found out the cute guy with matching red hair was his son. I watched their relationship in admiration. This was a time where my dad was not a part of my life and I didn't know if he ever would be. I could see such a respect between the two of them but I also saw a friendship and a father and son. It was obvious, he was a great dad but one day I found out he was also a great husband. He came in the office and was flipping through his folder, I noticed a picture of a woman on the front of his notebook and I asked him "is that your wife?" he said "Yes, I like to keep her with me throughout the day" as if that wasn't enough to melt my heart, he then said "You know Candi, I tell my wife every morning how beautiful she is" He was so sincere about it that I remember thinking "what a lucky lady she is" Another memory for me was one day at work some how we got talking about me not having a boyfriend (this was before Shane and I were dating) and I just remember him making the funniest comment to me, he said "Hunny, if I was 30 years younger and 30 pounds lighter, I would snatch you right up" Of course, he was just being funny but it was sweet none the less.
It wasn't much later after that, that Shane asked me out to our first lunch date. I like to think Mike had something to do with it. We had such a great work friendship that I like to believe he wanted his son and I together. So about a week later Shane asked me if I would like to go see the Lynyrd Skynyrd concert with him and his family. I thought that was awesome, and that's where I learned of Mike's love of (great) music. I remember thinking to myself "I was made to be in this family".
The funeral service was last Friday and when the time came for friends and family to get up and speak, I wanted to so bad. I wanted to tell the stories I just told. But I couldn't. I knew I couldn't get through it. But there was a huge part of me that still wanted to share these stories. I never told Pop how much I loved him, how much I respected him, how great of a dad he was and how much I enjoyed our times together.
I love you Pop. You will be missed every day.
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