Thirty seven years ago today I lost a part of my heart. After a two year illness my Dad passed away. Even though we knew he had been ill for those two years we were not prepared for him to die. The last memory I have of him is after they rushed him to Memphis and as I was walking into his room the response team stopped me and wouldn't let me enter. They couldn't save him and I have always had that memory of him trying to breathe.
He had been in the hospital in Iuka and we had traveled from Horn Lake to visit but he was so ill that he couldn't even talk. Among other problems he had emphysema and was under an oxygen tent. The medical field has advanced tremendously since those days.
When he took a turn for the worse, the doctor suggested that he be moved by ambulance to Baptist Hospital in Memphis. My mother finally agreed and regretted it for the rest of her life. She rode in the ambulance with him and my brother, Billy and his son, Billy Joe, was driving behind. A lady stopped and the ambulance was able to pass her but my nephew hit her car in the rear. My mother saw what happened and had to go on to the hospital not knowing if my brother and nephew were injured or not. Thankfully no one was injured but the lady saw an opportunity to defraud the insurance company and sued. It started a long battle of legal problems which ended with the people being seen for the crooks they really were! We never knew if my Dad knew of the accident. He died within an hour of reaching the hospital and my mother always said she wished she had let him die in peace.
I have such happy memories of my Daddy. I was the baby of their eight kids and by the time I arrived most of the older kids were grown and on their own. My Dad doted on me and I have those memories. During my high school years we would go on vacation to Florida and would always have such a great time. He lived Florida, especially fishing. I have loved the beach ever since.
My father's death was hard on the entire family as we had lost my oldest sister in 1968 and my youngest brother in 1970, both after long battles with cancer. In the five years before my Dad died my mother had lost him, a son, a daughter, and two brothers.
Everyday I think of my Dad and I think since living back in Iuka there is certainly more to remind me of him. He will always live in my heart.
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