This morning, as I sat here posting about my Aunt Sugar, with my cell phone sitting right here by the keyboard, the hospital called, twice. And my Sprint cell phone didn't ring either time. When I noticed the message and returned the call, they said she had taken a turn, and probably would not live another hour. The day has been a blur since then, racing to the hospital to find her already passed away, waiting with her until the funeral home came to remove her, calling the attorney to see how I could get all this stuff done without have any papers authorizing me to do so, going thru her apartment looking for a will, a life insurance policy, any funds to help pay for a funeral, etc. To her bank to learn that she had not put me on her accounts as she had planned to do. Then to the funeral home to start making plans. One more important stop I made was Sprint, where the phone worked perfectly every time they called it. Incredible. I miss my Aunt's call for help because of this stupid phone. Then I miss the hospital's call that she is going fast because of this phone. And then it behaves perfectly when I go in to complain about it. I wonder why Sprint is losing market share?
Please visit my Aunt's memorial page on
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=crawford&GSfn=virgie&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=23571426
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
My Aunt Sugar
She takes my phone calls and seems glad enough to gab for a few minutes. I pester her with questions about the past, she being the oldest living relative on my Mom's side. She has a remarkable memory, and she is brutally honest, doesn't hold back a thing.
But she never calls me. Never. Not once. Until December 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm. I had commented to hubby that I had forgotten to turn my phone off during church, and how glad I was nobody called during the service. After church, we went out for Chinese, and as I sat enjoying all my favorites at the Peking Restaurant, my Aunt Sugar tried to call me.
Unfortunately, my phone never rang, and she didn't leave a message. I always check my messages. Regularly. But I never check my missed calls. She is on the missed calls list.
Then about noon on Christmas Eve, NKC Hospital called to say that they were looking for kin of Virgie Belle Crawford, my Aunt Sug. My phone never rang, but when I returned the call, they informed me that she was there, brought in by ambulance that morning, and was full of cancer. Liver, breast, and lymph nodes. She probably had just a few days left. There was nothing they could do for her except try to control the pain.
Aunt Sug was so weak and near death when they found her in her apartment. They tried to ask her questions. Finally they understood she was trying to say "Claussen from Lawson". She repeated it several times. Finally she responded with my first name, and the paliative care nurse googled me. I am all over the internet, and was easy to find. At the same time, the social services fellow, David, called Aunt Sug's apartment manager to see if she had next of kin on her rental paperwork. No, but the assistant manager knew Julie, a good friend of Sug's, to whom Aunt Sug had given my phone number just a few months ago, as an emergency contact.
So, that's where we are now. Aunt Sug, the strongest and most independent of the 3 Crawford sisters, is at the end of her road. She is too far gone, and the pain medication has taken her too far away, for me to talk to her about Jesus. As young girls, the 3 sisters were taken to church by their grandparents. All 3 were probably baptized in the grandparents' church. As older youth, they briefly lived in a Catholic home and attended school there. Sug has heard the Good News; I just don't know if she ever accepted Jesus as her Savior.
Sug worked hard all her life. At hard jobs. She ran large presses and machines, doing jobs mostly considered mens' jobs. She only retired a few years ago, working well past the 62-65 age where most hope to retire.
The deaths are coming too fast, too close.
2006 May 5 Brother, Benny Lee Fox, age 50
2007 Jul 8 Best Friend, Joe Harrison, age 56
2007 Jul 20 Jason Logan, age 30, customer, friend, and "adopted" son
2007 Nov 28 Good Friend, Glenn Thompson, age 58
It has been a very hard 18 months.
But she never calls me. Never. Not once. Until December 23, 2007 at 12:44 pm. I had commented to hubby that I had forgotten to turn my phone off during church, and how glad I was nobody called during the service. After church, we went out for Chinese, and as I sat enjoying all my favorites at the Peking Restaurant, my Aunt Sugar tried to call me.
Unfortunately, my phone never rang, and she didn't leave a message. I always check my messages. Regularly. But I never check my missed calls. She is on the missed calls list.
Then about noon on Christmas Eve, NKC Hospital called to say that they were looking for kin of Virgie Belle Crawford, my Aunt Sug. My phone never rang, but when I returned the call, they informed me that she was there, brought in by ambulance that morning, and was full of cancer. Liver, breast, and lymph nodes. She probably had just a few days left. There was nothing they could do for her except try to control the pain.
Aunt Sug was so weak and near death when they found her in her apartment. They tried to ask her questions. Finally they understood she was trying to say "Claussen from Lawson". She repeated it several times. Finally she responded with my first name, and the paliative care nurse googled me. I am all over the internet, and was easy to find. At the same time, the social services fellow, David, called Aunt Sug's apartment manager to see if she had next of kin on her rental paperwork. No, but the assistant manager knew Julie, a good friend of Sug's, to whom Aunt Sug had given my phone number just a few months ago, as an emergency contact.
So, that's where we are now. Aunt Sug, the strongest and most independent of the 3 Crawford sisters, is at the end of her road. She is too far gone, and the pain medication has taken her too far away, for me to talk to her about Jesus. As young girls, the 3 sisters were taken to church by their grandparents. All 3 were probably baptized in the grandparents' church. As older youth, they briefly lived in a Catholic home and attended school there. Sug has heard the Good News; I just don't know if she ever accepted Jesus as her Savior.
Sug worked hard all her life. At hard jobs. She ran large presses and machines, doing jobs mostly considered mens' jobs. She only retired a few years ago, working well past the 62-65 age where most hope to retire.
The deaths are coming too fast, too close.
2006 May 5 Brother, Benny Lee Fox, age 50
2007 Jul 8 Best Friend, Joe Harrison, age 56
2007 Jul 20 Jason Logan, age 30, customer, friend, and "adopted" son
2007 Nov 28 Good Friend, Glenn Thompson, age 58
It has been a very hard 18 months.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Glenn's funeral
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=23162464
Not a funeral really, not even a visitation really. More of a gab party. Old acquaintances reconnecting in person due to Glenn. Gayla, Camilla, Diane Goodfellow, Darlene, Louella Prettyman, Mike Tucker, Majel Ladd, Linda Grado. Disappointed that Jean Ponds, Robert Vadnais, Dennis Evans and Edna Hough couldn't make it. They all meant so much to Glenn.
Poor Janet, she is really all alone now.
Not a funeral really, not even a visitation really. More of a gab party. Old acquaintances reconnecting in person due to Glenn. Gayla, Camilla, Diane Goodfellow, Darlene, Louella Prettyman, Mike Tucker, Majel Ladd, Linda Grado. Disappointed that Jean Ponds, Robert Vadnais, Dennis Evans and Edna Hough couldn't make it. They all meant so much to Glenn.
Poor Janet, she is really all alone now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)