Dateline Dayton — I promised this week’s essay would be about our Florida trip, but that must wait.
Last Sunday afternoon, our Florida friends and hosts, Ray and Darlene, received a call that Ray’s dad was not doing well in an Ohio nursing home. By evening he was better. Next morning, the family urgently was invited to spend time with him.
Ray and Darlene’s children spent the day with grandpa. They kept their parents informed. Meanwhile Ray and Darlene decided to start for home. I helped Ray load the car.
I got up early om Departure Day, not long before Ray received The Call. His dad had died.
Ray’s son made the call. He suggested his parents fly in, and he would make funeral arrangements. Now we unloaded Ray’s car for clothes and other items they would take for their Ohio trip.
We drove Darlene and Ray to the Tampa airport.
By last weekend, we were on our way back home to Ohio. When we stopped for the evening, I called my sister, Susan, as I had during the week, to check on the condition of my brother-in-law Willie, who was in hospice. He was not doing well. He could pass in the next couple days. I told her we were going to drive as much as necessary to get home on Sunday night since we had planned a two-night trip back.
Last Sunday morning we got the call that Willie had died.
I went into work on Monday morning, although I wasn’t scheduled to return until Tuesday.
Monday afternoon I accompanied my sister Susan to the funeral home in Piqua, to make the arrangements for Willie.
Monday evening we were at the funeral home in Middletown for Ray’s dad’s visitation.
Ray’s dad, Ray Sr., was an extraordinary man. It was evident by the number of people at the funeral home. He was a barber for the executives at Armco Steel, most of his working career. A religious man, he led a yearly retreat for men for a long time. Compassionate, too, he took care of an invalid for years.
In Our Family
From the time Willie left the hospital last month in Columbus, he was under hospice care. Susan can not say enough good things about hospice and the care he received.
Willie wanted to go quickly. He did. He didn’t suffer physically, but there was the mental strain of not being in control, not being able to take care of himself, which he did with Susan’s help, all the time they were married.
Willie was not just my brother-in-law.
He was my friend, my traveling companion on many trips, to Florida, to Las Vegas, to Culver City, to Reno and cities in between. All I had to do was say, “Do you want to go?” Willie was there. Willie and Susan would join Pauline and me on road trips, which usually ended with a casino visit, even two.
I will truly miss Willie. I hope he is enjoying himself in that casino in the sky.
Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net
