Yes, this is the last chapter. It’s a sad one. Grumpy requested that I not tell many people
of his health issues. He had a small
stroke in July, got pneumonia a few times from not being able to swallow properly
from the stroke, and he just became weaker and weaker over the next few months. He had test after test done and saw several
doctors in Michigan and in Texas. When
we arrived in Texas, he was so very weak, and the next day, he was admitted to
the hospital and then was transferred to a rehab unit. I visited him every day while I was working
at the RV park as the activities director.
 |
| At the rehab unit |
He seemed to be doing better with rehab, was in good spirits,
and after two weeks he came home. I did
not find out until later that he came home against recommendations. He was still very weak, and being in a
motorhome made things more difficult for him.
He was home for two nights before I found another rehab unit for him to
go back to.
However, when it came time for him to go to the new rehab
unit, he was so weak he needed help getting out of the motorhome and into the
car. It took three men to carry him down
the stairs. He was in respiratory
distress and ended up in the emergency room where, after about five minutes, I
realized they were working to just save his life at that point. He had a pseudomonas sepsis infection in his
blood and he could just not fight it. There was more going on in his body than just
the stroke, but the doctors never had time to figure out what it was.
Grumpy passed away the following afternoon, November 23rd,
2019. I soothed him as much as I could
until he took his last breath. After all
of his suffering, I know that he is finally resting peacefully. His last few months had been quite miserable
for him.
 |
| I told him to give me a sign when he was ready to go. |
We had a celebration of life for Grumpy a few weeks later in
the Dallas area. An old neighbor took us
out on his boat so that we could place his ashes in the lake in front of the
house where he spent so much of his life. We all wore one of his bright shirts in his honor.
 |
| What would Grumpy do? |
 |
| Saying goodbye on Cedar Creek Lake |
Steve, I miss you every day and I always will. You have been in my heart since the day I met
you in Orange, California, in 1979. I
remember sitting across from you at Charlie Brown’s after work, and your smile
when our eyes met. You came to the
mailroom at Thermco the following morning where I was sorting mail and bought just
one stamp from me – and then asked me out.
You were a wonderful man and you
have touched many lives. |
| Healthy and happy Grumpy |
 |
| Sweet Grumpy |
