torand.org » Death

Today we say good bye

Scott — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:09:06 +0000

This past week has been a rough one. I have been writing on this blog about my brother’s wife Diane and her battle with cancer. Diane passed peacefully on the evening of Aug 25. She was diagnosed exactly one year earlier, and my brother and niece were optimistic about the bone marrow transplant, but it was not to be. Tom is taking it well, because he knows she is no longer in pain.

It was evident that Diane and Tom had touched many, many lives. The wake for Diane was on Friday, and to see a line out the door of the funeral home with people waiting for as much as an hour and a half to talk to Tom and Debbie. Well that was just amazing to see.

The funeral was held on Saturday, that was hard for everyone. Tom was doing very well up to that.. He was good at the wake, but I could tell that this was going to be a very hard day. Diane was laid to rest in the plot is right next to her daughter Cindy.

Goodbye Arnie

Scott — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 00:16:06 +0000

I got the news from my Mom that her brother Arnie had passed away from emphysema. He was slowly dying from the disease for a few years. My uncle and aunt lived in Holland Michigan, mom and dad are traveling to Michigan for the funeral. Mom said that he is going to be buried in thier hometown of Escanaba Michigan.

My fondest childhood memories are of the annual Henriksen family reunions. My parents have been driving to the Escanaba area from Des Moines Iowa, my hometown, every year for the past 50+ years. I remember all the fun times that I had with my uncle’s and aunt’s. I remember mom calling my uncle “Horse”, I have no idea where that came from. Arnie is the first of my mom’s brothers or sisters that have passed. Most of mom’s family live within a few hours of where my uncle Arnie and aunt Anne live.

This is going to be hard for mom, since the death of Doug, she has been struggling. She had been attending a support group for those that have had their children die. I wish I could be there for her.

Words you don’t want to hear

Scott — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 01:21:07 +0000

At some time in your life you will hear the words “I have some bad news”. For some, it will be the loss of a job, others it will be the doctor giving you the diagnosis. Some will be told face to face, some will be told over the phone.

For me, it was on my cell phone while I was shopping at Kohls. My sister-in-law told me of the death of my brother. It seemed like the whole world started spinning in slow motion, I could not believe the news. “He died this morning from a heart attack” she said. I stopped listening sometime after that and I slowly handed my phone over to my wife. At that point, the problems I had, seemed small and insignificant.

My mind raced to when we were kids, the teasing and torture that an older brother, I am the youngest, inflicts to a younger brother. To the time I called him on autovon because of some girl problem that I had. To that summer in ‘79 when my oldest brother and I drove down to Clovis New Mexico to see him. It was the first time I drove a stick.

I spoke with my remaining brother this evening, he has had his own struggles as his daughter was killed in a car accident. We talked about how each were feeling, sharing our memories of our brother. tallking about how the other members fo the family were doing…

Both of us shocked, at the words we don’t want to hear.