Father's Day - Did you request anything special?

[jamespowers]

That's a damn shame. You have my sincere sympathy.

My brother died from a massive heart attack in 1984; he was only 48 years old. My sister-in-law told us that she had spoken to his doctor after he died, and his doctor told her he had some serious health issues that he (my brother) never told her about that in all likelihood contributed to his death. Sadly, my niece/Goddaughter was only two or three years old, and my nephew was still an infant at the time. She has some vague memories of her father, but he has none (though he is very much like his father in some ways).

That realization came to me after my mom died in 2004. She was the last of the older relatives--parents, aunts and uncles, in-laws, etc.--who played a part in my "formative" years, and after I'd gone through the grieving process it hit me one day that I no longer had that "safety net" to fall back on. It does tend to make you take stock of your capabilities and come to terms with your strengths and weaknesses.

Geez, your brother didn't last long at all! What a shame. I was in my late twenties when my father died so it wasn't quite so bad or unexpected like that. :doh:

Your experience was similar to mine in regard to older relatives as well. My grandmother and mother both passed away within 11 days of each other in 2005. No safety net for sure after that........

 

[Zombie_61]

Geez, your brother didn't last long at all! What a shame.

He was working for a well-known tool company at the time (I don't want to name names) and his widow sued them. She was awarded a sizeable settlement, so she and his doctor(s) were apparently able to prove the pressures they put on him exacerbated his health issues and contributed to his death. I don't know any of the details because they're none of my business but, between his insurance policies and the settlement, she hasn't had to work since. I'm convinced he knew he was going to die young, so he made sure that she and their children would be taken care of financially--not wealthy, but enough to live comfortably on.

 

[jamespowers]

He was working for a well-known tool company at the time (I don't want to name names) and his widow sued them. She was awarded a sizeable settlement, so she and his doctor(s) were apparently able to prove the pressures they put on him exacerbated his health issues and contributed to his death. I don't know any of the details because they're none of my business but, between his insurance policies and the settlement, she hasn't had to work since. I'm convinced he knew he was going to die young, so he made sure that she and their children would be taken care of financially--not wealthy, but enough to live comfortably on.

Good for him planning ahead like that. Still, money can't replace a father and husband. :doh:

 

[Zombie_61]

Good for him planning ahead like that. Still, money can't replace a father and husband. :doh:

He never spoke to me about any of it so I don't know what his thoughts were, but he wasn't a foolish person so I can only guess his health issues were serious enough for him to have made the decisions he made. [huh]