Sadly, we lost Chris' paternal grandfather last Thursday, September 24th. Clarence had been diagnosed with bladder cancer earlier this summer and it was quickly determined to be stage 4 that had spread significantly. He then suffered a heart attack and stroke within a week of eachother. He wanted to be home and that is where he was when he passed away. Chris had just seen him on that Monday, and while he hadn't felt like that would be the last time, he knew the time was near.
This was the third grandparent we've lost in as many years. My grandmother in 2007, Chris' maternal grandfather in 2008 and now Clarence in 2009. Meredith was small enough the past two years that she didn't grasp any of it. This year was a different story though. The whole funeral thing is a bizarre tradition even for adults, so how can a child make sense of it? It is amazing how much levity a child can bring to such a grim occassion though. That is why I felt like I needed to have her there. Not for Clarence, but for Chris, his dad and his grandmother. She asked a lot of questions (as she does about everything these days) and I tried to answer them as honestly as I could while keeping it on a level she could understand and not frighten her. The permanence of it is the whole concept she (Nor I!) really doesn't get. The funeral was on Saturday in High Point on a cool, yucky, rainy day. After being with Chris for so many years, his family is my family too and seeing the person you love grieve is heartbreaking.
Robert Clarence Elliott, 83 years old
June 27, 1926- September 24, 2009
Rest in Peace Grandaddy.
1 comment:
i am so sorry to hear of your loss. we are thinking of you all during this time. love - kell
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