Eulogy for my Dad

[supercharged91m]

Sorry for ur loss man this was hard not to get choked up about.

 

[Kornilov]

Sorry for your loss Klaus. Thanks for sharing thar here.

 

[7998]

Sorry Klaus, I dread the day this time comes to me. I don't know how you processed those phone calls but I hope you found them as a comfort that you were the one he reached out to you in that moment. What could or could not have been said will forever be a mystery but take comfort that it was you he reached out to. I wish you and your family peace and comfort in this time.

 

[01yellercobra]

Sorry for your loss Klaus.

 

[03Sssnake]

I am sorry for your loss bud. There aren’t really words for this. Sounds like your at peace with it and that is a reflection of the bond you had with your father.

 

[DSG2003Mach1]

That’s rough go of it lately, sorry for your losses. Great speech

 

[Morgan]

Beautiful words @Klaus Thank you for sharing with all of us. Your Dad sounds like the kind of guy we would all respect and be better for knowing. I’m sure he’s proud of you.

 

[BlckBox04]

sorry for your loss brother

 

[VegasMichael]

Well done eulogy, sir, and very sorry for your loss.

 

[1 Alibi 2]

Sorry to hear about your loss,.......................know that he has gone to a better place !
.

 

[JaCobro]

My condolences for your loss. Very well said eulogy. Prayers up for you and yours. Keep up the great work brother.

 

[mysticsvt]

Prayers to you man. Times like these we find out just how much of a man we can actually be when it counts. He would have been proud no doubt. Remember him when he was 100%, that is what he would have wanted I'm sure. <3

 

[Captain Beyond]

My condolences to you Klaus.

 

[ShelbyGT5HUN]

Very sorry for you losing your father. I fear the day, I lose mine. That eulogy was beautifully written.

 

[gimmie11s]

I lost my dad a couple of weeks ago. It came as a shock. He was living in an apartment in a nursing home that I put him in with my Aunt, who I also take care of. She fell and ended up in the hospital and when I came to check on him a day later I found him curled up in a ball on the floor. He had fallen and broke a couple of ribs but was otherwise OK.

They both were in separate hospitals and then to rehab facilities 30 miles apart. The rehab facilities were total hell holes, especially the one that my Aunt was in. After an indescribable effort to get them discharged, I was able to get them transferred to a memory care facility. They were down the hall from each other and seemed to be adapting well.

For some perspective, in the last 6 months I have buried my step mom, moved my dad out of his house, sold his house, gotten rid of all of his shit, moved my Aunt out of her apartment, gotten rid of all of her shit, moved them both into a nursing home, dealt with the hospital and rehab situation, and moved them out of their apartment and into a memory care facility. Not to mention consolidating all of his + my aunt's financial accounts which were a total mess, taking both to the doctor, managing both of their health care, and bossing around my idiot siblings who were no help through this process.

So, I got them into the memory care facility and thought that things would stabilize for a bit.

Well, 6 days after I moved him in I received this series of phone calls:

1) 6:45 AM voice male from my dad that was a garbled, him calling my name. I did not think anything of it. He was calling me every 15 minutes at this point, most of which was gibberish.

2) 7:15 AM call from the head nurse at the facility "we're sorry, he didn't make it." WHAT THE ****? It turns out he had a pulmonary embolism and called me while he was dying.

I am still processing it.

Here is the eulogy that I gave at his funeral. I hope it brightens your day even if it is a bit sad. He lives on through everyone that knew him; may he live on in all that read this.

"I have heard it said that we are the average of all the people in our lives. From our closest relationships to casual acquaintances, we are made up of who we know. As I look out today, it strikes me how great my dad was based on how great all of you are.

One thing that strikes me is what an eclectic collection of friends he had. Some of you may know him from seminary at Nazareth Hall. Some of you became fast friends at DeLaSalle. Some of you are friends and family of my mom. Some of you met him through Ivy. My dad had several different stages of life and picked up new friends at each.

Many of you knew a unique John, depending on what stage of life he was at. I would like to tell you a bit about the John that I knew, or Dad as I called him.

He could be goofy. He loved to dress up as Dracula for Halloween. He could be strict, which I did not like as a kid but I can see the wisdom as an adult.

He loved a bargain and used coupons. He could never resist a garage sale. He loved going to auctions and never left without something that seemed like junk but was really a long lost treasure.

He loved cowboys and collected the art of the west throughout his life. He loved books and always had two or three on his nightstand. He loved theatre and good movies, too.

He was loyal and took care of his mom and sister for as long as he could. His best friends were people that he met in high school.

He loved dad jokes but could be a philosopher, too. To this end, I would like to share a brief story.

My dad and mom moved to California when I was very young. They made their way in a place very different than South Minneapolis, where my dad had grown up. But they rose to the occasion and adapted to the new environment.

Getting us to school was one of these challenges. I went to private school and there were no school buses. Being the organizer that my dad was, he put together a car pool with our neighbors, whose children went to the same school. We all became fast friends and spent our mornings and afternoons together as we were shuttled back and forth.

When it was my dad’s turn to drive we would all pile into the back of his Volvo and he would drop us off. As we were leaving, he would tell us “do not take any wooden nickels.” Every. Single. Time.

As a young kid, this was perplexing to me. I often pondered what this meant.

Was it just a silly dad joke, or was it something else?

Were there actually wooden nickels in circulation?

I was not doing much transacting at the time, how would I encounter this situation?

Would I know a wooden nickel when I saw one?

What would happen if I did take a wooden nickel?

As I got older, I would reflect on this. There was a serious lesson to be had in that I should be on guard and not be a sucker. But it was also a silly dad joke that he was telling us to get a laugh and start our day on a good note. It also was a way of him telling us that he loved us and looked forward to being with us each morning.

I tell you this, because this is how my dad was. He was very serious on one end but also very easygoing at the same time. It took me a long time to realize how much he has enriched my life and will take more time still to fully appreciate this. But enrich he did. It seems like we had such a short time together and I miss him already. As sad as I am that he is gone, I rejoice for the time that we spent together while he was here and I know that all of you do, too."

Well written, heart-felt, genuine. I read this and take away the idea that the older you get, the more of an appreciation and love you are having for your dad. Youre a smart guy who loves to, and often wins the argument. I imagine this caused some friction growing up with you and your old man. Maybe you regret that some, I don't know.

What I do know is Im sure he loved you more than you imagine. That's a fact.

If only we had one more day!

Thanks to you and everyone else. You do not truly become a man until you bury your father.

100%.

I buried mine 12 years ago last March. It was devastating. He was 63, me 33. Massive heart attack took him way too soon. Guy was my best friend, best man in my wedding. He was absolutely full of joy 100% of the time, even we he just rolled out of bed at 4am. Something I still don't understand haha.

Sorry for your loss bud. Only thing that heals a broken heart is time.

 

[Klaus]

Youre a smart guy who loves to, and often wins the argument. I imagine this caused some friction growing up with you and your old man. Maybe you regret that some, I don't know.

Thanks man. You nailed it, me and my dad were a lot alike. It was a problem when we were younger, but drew us close in later years.

When he was most vulnerable it was me that he turned to. As he was dying, he called me hoping that I would make it all better as I had with everything else. I am equal parts sad for letting him down and proud of his confidence in me.

 

[98 svt]

Damn so sorry to hear your lost your dad. It's a terrible feeling. You'll never be the same person again.

 

[ZYBORG]

The fact that he called YOU, when he was passing in to the next level, says a lot.

Rest In Peace, Klaus Dad… Or better yet, PARTY ON, SIR!

 

[MG0h3]

Condolences Klaus.

Sounds like you had a great relationship with him.

That’s something you can cherish forever.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[MassCobra]

Sorry for your loss and well done eulogy.
I lost my 87 year old mother 10 months ago to Alzheimer's and my father, who will be 91 in January was here primary car provider and it was very difficult for him but he would not have had it any other way.
He always said as she declined he would never put her in a home and he kept his word. He was devastated at her loss as they had a great life together and were married for 67 years.
I could go on and on but I won't.