Brad's father passes away

Robert Alan Black

10/4/35 - 12/6/08

On Saturday, December 6th, Brad's father, known to most as Bob, passed away after a long battle with emphysema.  He was 73 years old.  The last several months had been very painful and difficult for him and the day after Thanksgiving, he decided he just couldn't take it anymore.  They went to the hospital and he was started on a morphine drip, which they slowly increased to keep him asleep and pain-free until he passed 1 week later.  He will be cremated tomorrow and had asked that his ashes be put in the water somewhere.  Brad's brother flew to Paris to be with their mom for the cremation.  She will be coming out here for the holidays and plans to spend a few weeks with us first, then fly out to Boston to spend a few weeks with Brad's brother before returning to France.  

Brad is doing fairly well.  While we all knew that it was coming, and thought it might be a bit of relief because he had been suffering so much for so long, in the end it was very sad.  I cannot imagine the pain of losing a parent.  There is not only the loss of that person, but the reality of our own mortality.  I think that this has really hit Brad the past few weeks...just the reality that we aren't getting any younger.  It's a good thing he married a younger woman...to help keep him young, too!  And little Spencer is keeping him on his toes, as well as making him smile on a regular basis.  So while this holiday may be a little difficult for him and his family, it will also be very special that we are sharing it with Spencer for the first time.