Sears Truck

The boys were playing with this Sears truck the other night and it made me think about dad again. I love little things like this that make me remember him. Though it made me sad again, I was glad that I got to talk to Clayton about grandpa and how this was the truck he used to drive on his job. The work van that he drove for years looked just like this one. He gave this toy Sears truck to the kids a few years before he passed. I am thinking maybe I should put it away and save it so it doesn't get either broke or lost.

Dad was such a hard worker and great employee of Sears for around 30 years (not sure exactly- - mom you can correct me). He NEVER called in sick and even when he started getting sick with cancer, before we knew it was cancer, he worked right through being sick, throwing up and feeling just TERRIBLE!! He was such an admirable man!

By being a Sears technician for so many years, he could FIX ANYTHING!! This was good and bad! It was good because we saved a lot of money not having to buy new things when things broke or pay someone to come out and fix things. BUT it was bad when something became SOOO old and we really, really just wanted a new one- - -he would fix it. I remember having a hair dryer that was probably as old as I was and dad would just keep fixing it. He even put an entire new cord on the thing. It was so ugly and outdated, but dad wouldn't let us get a new one because he said this one worked just fine!! It irritated me a little as a teenager, but I have grown to really appreciate those things about him as I have gotten older.

The day my world collapsed

It was October 28 I will never forget that day. Walter had previously had some tests done and we went to the doctor to get the results. We never suspectd what the doctor was about to reveal to us. He said that no one wants to hear what he is about to tell us. He said you have cancer and you need to be admitted to the hospital immediately. He would make all the arrangements and he would get all the best doctors he knew. I thought I was going to collapse right there. Walter was so composed. He took the news alot better than I did. I was so shook up Walter would not let me drive him to the hospital. He drove himself. Once we got there several doctors started examining him. He had a large tumor in his abdomen. He was retaining fluid and was in kidney failure. I was in shock most of the day. I did manage to call Michelle, Marci and Brad and his parents. They were going to have to schelule surgery as soon as possible to put stints in so his kidneys would be able to start functioning again. This was the first day of the long journey we were about to embark on. It all seemed like a nightmare and I wished I would wake up. I will post more on our journey later. This is very hard for me because I still miss him so very much.

Patty