There has been a significant amount of family stuff going on. At the end of July, beginning of August, my grandpa became sick and was hospitalized. Everything seemed ok and he was able to go home after a couple days. A week or two later, my grandma was hospitalized. They got her situated and she was able to go home after a couple of days. During those couple days and the couple after, my grandpa was in and out of the emergency room and doctor's office for various things.
Essentially, my grandpa decided that he was tired of living with machines and the restrictions that his medical needs gave him. He decided that he wanted to let nature take it's course. He passed away early Sunday, August 15th. I then went up to Duluth and spent Sunday and Monday with my family, seeing my grandpa one last time before he was cremated. I'll never forget how hard it was to see my grandma so incredibly sad. I left Monday evening to go back to work on Tuesday. We planned a memorial service in my home town for Thursday the 19th. Before I left, my grandma gave me a big hug and said I love you. I told her that I would see her Wednesday evening. My mom planned on bringing her by my house, which she hadn't seen yet and then we were going to take her shopping for something to wear on Thursday. She then gave me a signature "grandma kiss" and with a big smile, told me "and that's for Bill!"
I made it home very early Tuesday morning, to get up and make my way to work in Wisconsin. It was a tough day to work with all that had gone on. I made my way home and started to relax for a minute before I started making dinner and cleaning the house for any guests that would be stopping by in the next few days. As I started to make hamburger patties to grill, Bill's phone rang. I could hear my mom's voice. The look on Bill's face said enough. He handed me the phone... I can't even remember what my mom told me, but my grandma had passed away that day. She hadn't been feeling well all day. My mom and aunt brought her into the hospital and they couldn't find anything major wrong, but had decided to admit her to see if they could make things better for her. Shortly after being admitted, she passed away. They believe that she may have had a blood clot or something. The family opted to not do an autopsy.
Bill and I picked up my sister, Moriah, and headed off to Duluth to be with the family again, spending Wednesday and Thursday with them. We planned a new memorial service for Monday, August 23rd.
I guess you could say she died of a broken heart. There is some comfort knowing that they are both together and grandma is back to taking care of grandpa. We all knew my grandpa's time would be soon, but we never would have guessed that grandma would have followed so soon. Over a month later, it's still extremely hard to believe.
Even with the unfortunate circumstances, I'm so glad I got to spend so much time with my family. It really made me appreciate each and every one of them. Even though there was a lot of crying and sadness, there was also a lot of laughing and smiling while remembering things from the past and sharing new stories with everyone.
One of thing I hope I never forget is dinner on Monday night (16th). We had grandma with a look of shock and surprise from all of our shenanigans.
Sand, Leif and Marilyn Leif Sand, 78, of Bemidji, passed away Sunday, August 15, 2010. Marilyn Sand, 73, of Bemidji, passed away Tuesday, August 17, 2010. Marilyn was born March 9, 1937 to Charles and Mary (Jones) Hohag in Lindstrom, MN; Leif was born March 18, 1932 to Osmund and Laura (Erland) Sand in Barnegat Light, NJ. They met at a dance in Center City and married on January 14, 1956. They settled on Island Park where Leif worked as a carpenter and a building inspector. Marilyn was a homemaker and active in scouting. Leif joined the Island Park Volunteer Fire Department, then Mound Fire Department when Island Park was annexed by Mound. Leif and Marilyn built and then rebuilt their home on Island Park where they lived until 1987 when they built a new home in Squaw Lake. Leif and Marilyn loved to travel; they visited Norway, Alaska, Hawaii and relatives on the East coast. They were avid fisherman, hunters, and gardeners. They are survived by children Dale (Alice) Sand, Larry (Sandy) Sand, Robert (Autumn) Sand, Carol Kelly, Tim Kelly; grandchildren Casey, Erik, Lisa, Moriah, and Peter. Leif's brothers Oscar, Siguard (Charlotte); sisters Laura (Don) Bedford, Arline (Don) Christ, and June (Carl) Swanson and Marilyn's sister Verna Huges. Leif was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Norman. Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents and sister, Charlotte. A memorial service will be held on Monday, August 23 from 11:30 to 2:30 pm at The Gillespie Center, 2590 Commerce Blvd., Mound MN 952-472-6501.
No comments:
Post a Comment