A memorial for those who are no longer with us...

[Dreadman75]

Earlier today my uncle died of a sudden heart attack.

It was sudden, completely unexpected, and has left me and my family devastated.

After some thought, and taking inspiration from my little brother, I decided to make this thread as my way of honoring his memory, and showing that neither I nor anyone else in my family will forget him. Feel free to add your own stories if you're comfortable with it.

My uncle, Lee, was a good man, a good son, and an all-around fun guy to be around. He loved his family, especially his nieces and nephews, unconditionally. He always had a way of making people laugh, whether it was through a real story or something he made up on the spot, it was a gift of his.

He was always willing to help out his brothers and sisters whenever they needed it, and we were always happy to reciprocate in kind.

Every week the whole family would get together at my grandmother's house for lunch, and to just talk, catch up on the week's events, and just generally enjoy each others company. Out of all of his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews it was Lee that seemed to make it the most Sundays of all. Even now, I can feel a big, gaping hole where he usually is.

But, despite the great relationship he had with his family, there were times when we would aggravate him or vice versa. I've said that I was sorry for my fair share, but I'll never forget the times I hurt his feelings, even though I didn't mean to.

But I know that he is in a better place now. The good Lord called him home and he's looking down on us now with all the others whose time on this earth has passed.

So, Uncle Lee, wherever you are. I hope that you can see this, or at least feel the sentiments behind this post:

We love you! We will all miss you! And I hope that, one day, we can all see each other again, and sit down and talk like we used to!

 

[Supertegwyn]

I'm sorry for your loss.

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Shit OP, I'm sorry to hear that.

The only story I can share is that my grandpa died four years ago, and we kinda knew that he wasn't doing well and it was only a matter of time before he died. The days before he died we hung out a lot and went to lunch a few times, and I even did some errands for him since he was not in the best shape to do any of it.

The night before we had this huge dinner to celebrate my brother getting a better job and we all had a great time, and when it was all said and done I dropped him off home (it was a Friday night). The plan was come Monday I was going to pick him up, go to breakfast and do some running that he might have to do. That Monday my dad had to come over to help me break open his door, and we found him dead. What was creepy was that it was five years to the day that my grandma died and he had his taxes and other papers in order for us to take care of.

He was a great man, he was teaching me Finnish, and I forgot almost all of it except for one word. I hope things get better with you and the family because of this.

 

[staika]

The only sudden death I have in my family I am still trying to get over. About 3 days after my 20th birthday my older cousin died suddenly from a drug overdose. My cousin was one of the nicest guys you could ever meet and helped me out a lot when I was growing up but at one point he just kind of broke off and his life started to spiral out of control. That was until last year where it looked like he finally got out of this phase and got back into college and generally looked like he got his life back on track. I still get really sad about it from time to time but I try to keep my head up since that's what he would have wanted me to do.

 

[Marter]

I only know of three deaths in the family since I've been alive, none of which were unexpected.

The first two were from two separate great-grandmothers who each lived to be 100. I only saw them a couple of times, and only remember each of their centennial birthdays.

The third was my uncle, although I'd only met him a few times in my life so it didn't really impact me.

But RIP all of them, and all of the other people who have been and will be mentioned in this thread.

 

[lettucethesallad]

One of my best friends killed himself a few years back by mixing pills and alcohol. We lived a few hours away from each other but would talk on the phone every day and see each other as often as we could. He was a wonderful support in my times of need.

The one time I didn't answer my phone when he called was when he called to say goodbye. I never heard from him again. I kick myself about it to this day. I miss him so very much.

 

[JoJo]

I can fap to this..

Place and time man, place and time. Shame on you.

OP: You have my condolences, I've been lucky enough so far not to lose anyone close to me but with my grandparents and great uncles/aunts aging, it's only a matter of time.

 

[The Funslinger]

Fortunately, I haven't lost anyone that close to me. Mainly great uncles and such, I'd never actually met, or only met the once.

Thing is, though, I know my great aunt quite well, but I can't say I remember meeting her husband, and he died a few months ago. I was at his funeral, and listening to his eulogy, I learned that he and I had a lot in common. He and I shared a love of science fiction (particularly Doctor Who) and were both Atheists that looked out to the greater universe with awe and wonder.

I wish I'd gotten to meet him. He sounded like a witty old bastard. He was in hospital towards the end of his life, and the orderlies working the night shift were blatantly just there for the money, and did even less than the bear minimum.

One of the stories I heard was that (being totally bedridden) he pressed his button, and when an orderly came to see what he needed, he asked her to pass him his false teeth from the table across the room, next to the door. She just said "I'm not paid to do that" and left. Kind of pathetic. I get that it's not what people want to be doing in life, and it's just a job, but they're charged with caring for some particularly vulnerable people. A little compassion seems prerequisite.

On the upside, there was one night where the orderlies were conversing very loudly, and he couldn't sleep. He pressed his button, and the woman came to see. This exchange took place:

"What do you want?"

"I was wondering if you'd please fetch me some cotton?"

"What do you need cotton for?"

"Well, the awful racket you're making is keeping me up, so I need it to put in my ears."

"Humph" *leaves*

 

[DugMachine]

I can fap to this..

God dammit I lol'd

OT: Sorry for your loss OP. My only loss that was hard was my great grandfather. That guy taught me so much stuff when he was alive. Shared his stories of the great war and seemed always up to date with what was going on in the world and never went "well back in my day.." He would truly listen to me and could relate even with the huge age gap.

 

[YouCallMeNighthawk]

Earlier today my uncle died of a sudden heart attack.

It was sudden, completely unexpected, and has left me and my family devastated.

After some thought, and taking inspiration from my little brother, I decided to make this thread as my way of honoring his memory, and showing that neither I nor anyone else in my family will forget him. Feel free to add your own stories if you're comfortable with it.

My uncle, Lee, was a good man, a good son, and an all-around fun guy to be around. He loved his family, especially his nieces and nephews, unconditionally. He always had a way of making people laugh, whether it was through a real story or something he made up on the spot, it was a gift of his.

He was always willing to help out his brothers and sisters whenever they needed it, and we were always happy to reciprocate in kind.

Every week the whole family would get together at my grandmother's house for lunch, and to just talk, catch up on the week's events, and just generally enjoy each others company. Out of all of his brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews it was Lee that seemed to make it the most Sundays of all. Even now, I can feel a big, gaping hole where he usually is.

But, despite the great relationship he had with his family, there were times when we would aggravate him or vice versa. I've said that I was sorry for my fair share, but I'll never forget the times I hurt his feelings, even though I didn't mean to.

But I know that he is in a better place now. The good Lord called him home and he's looking down on us now with all the others whose time on this earth has passed.

So, Uncle Lee, wherever you are. I hope that you can see this, or at least feel the sentiments behind this post:

We love you! We will all miss you! And I hope that, one day, we can all see each other again, and sit down and talk like we used to!

I'm sorry OP i mean absolutely no offense by this, but is this really the place to preserve his memory?

aslong as you keep his memory in your heart then it carries on, give it a week and most who have viewed this thread would have forgotten. again sorry for any offense if given.

i also lost someone a few years ago, my grandad. we was always at each others throats, me being young and thinking i knew everything and well him .... being a miserable old git

I never got to see him that often, but we lost him before i had time to realise how much of a little brat i was and never got to say sorry. but i'm sure he would have forgiven me being the kinda guy he was.

but i go back to my original point, aslong as you and you're family remember him that's all that matters you dont need hundreds of people to carry it on.

 

[gigastar]

Im sorry for your loss, but for the sake of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in future dont go to complete strangers on the internet for moral support. Its not as bad this time but in most cases its much worse.

Also, since ive been alive nobody in my immediate family has died. Lost several family friends and pets but no actual family.

Though to be honest i dont expect my remaining grandfather to last much after 2015.

 

[trollnystan]

I'm sorry for your loss OP. I've lost 8 family members during my lifetime, most of which I loved and now miss. So my condolences to you and your family.

 

[Black_Phoenix]

Unfortunately I too have had my share of death, but I've talked about it so much that I'm relatively comfortable telling my story.

My father died of stage IV stomach cancer the summer after my freshman year of high school (2008), he was 54. We were exceptionally close, and I still haven't really recovered from it.

After that, I thought, and hoped, that that would be my only early loss, but it most certainly was not. On January 23, 2010, I heard a knock on my front door. It was a Saturday and around 10 AM, so I didn't particularly feel like getting out of bed.

My mother was on the phone when they knocked, so she didn't hear it the first time. I figured they would think nobody was home and would just leave and therefore I didn't get up (wow I'm so lazy), but they kept knocking.

After about the 3rd set of knocks my mom came out of her room, having just hung up seconds earlier. The door opened and I heard my mom say "oh my god" over and over again. At that point I went to the door and saw the three marines in dress blues. My brother, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan.

Life is difficult, but I have ways in which i escape the pain, like friends or video games. I don't really know where I'd be without my video games at this point =P

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

I've lost a grandfather, an uncle, an aunt to cancer or other diseases and a number of friends who were on the wrong end of a drunk driving incident. Losing those who are close to us leave us dazed and in pain during the fallout. If I knew of words to help you through this better I would say them. You have my condolences.

 

[Dreadman75]

I'm sorry OP i mean absolutely no offense by this, but is this really the place to preserve his memory?

aslong as you keep his memory in your heart then it carries on, give it a week and most who have viewed this thread would have forgotten. again sorry for any offense if given.

i also lost someone a few years ago, my grandad. we was always at each others throats, me being young and thinking i knew everything and well him .... being a miserable old git

I never got to see him that often, but we lost him before i had time to realise how much of a little brat i was and never got to say sorry. but i'm sure he would have forgiven me being the kinda guy he was.

but i go back to my original point, aslong as you and you're family remember him that's all that matters you dont need hundreds of people to carry it on.

Im sorry for your loss, but for the sake of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, in future dont go to complete strangers on the internet for moral support. Its not as bad this time but in most cases its much worse.

I wanna make one thing very clear: I'm not really looking for moral support (I'm coping with it fairly well), though I really do greatly appreciate what all of you have said so far.

The whole reasoning behind this thread was to help honor my uncle's memory, and hopefully allow others to honor the memories of their loved ones who have passed.

YouCallMeNighthawk: No offense taken at all. But know this: I'm not trying to get hundreds of people to carry on his memory, this thread is for everyone not just me. I simply had a few things to say about my uncle so I put them up here.

Why? Don't know, I was still pretty stricken by what happened. My post was more for him than me. I put this up in hopes that, no matter what the afterlife is like, he could see it himself or at least receive the sentiments behind the words.

I don't care if it's unlikely, or if you think I'm just odd for doing it. Matters of faith are rarely rational, and that's more or less what this is.

captcha: bitter end
...that's kinda disturbing.

 

[The Pinray]

My condolences, Dreadman75. I understand your loss. I've lost several family and friends in the past few years (Uncle, Father, Best Friend, Childhood Pet, Grandfather).

Never gets easy. Eventually you just learn to live with it, then finally move on.

Best of luck.