Our dear Grandpa

January 17, 1943 - July 24, 2011

On pioneer day, Kevin's dad, Alan, was not looking too good. He had been in a coma for just a few days. He ended up passing away that night. It was the longest weekend of our lives. We stayed at their house all weekend, Kevin couldn't leave his mom and dad's side.
Alan started to have memory problems in November of 2010. He would forget how to drive home, he would forget how to start the DVD player, he even started to forget who his children were. He would also get very anxious. Loud noises from the grandkids would make him angry. This was scary for everyone and especially Kevin's mother. In January, Alan had to retire from Thatcher High School.
There were so many unanswered questions. The doctors were trying so hard to figure out what was going on. Alan had always been so healthy his whole life. No medication, no health issues. The whole family was starting to realize that Kevin's mom couldn't take care of Alan by herself anymore. So on April 30th (22 days after their 37th wedding anniversary), they had to sell most of their possessions and their home in Thatcher (while Alan had no idea what was going on).
With so many tests and good doctors, they never gave up on helping Alan. And the family never gave up either. They all had so much hope and faith that he would get better. But on June 29th, Kevin's mom got a call from the doctor, saying that Alan had CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease), a rare form of brain damage that leads to a rapid decrease of mental function and movement.
We had no idea how long he had now. But he was comfortable in his daughter's home, with grandchildren all around him and his wife right by his side, doing anything and everything she could for him. The last words he said were: "Are my kids safe? Take care of the kids, I don't want anything to happen to my kids."
It was a bitter-sweet passing. There was no struggling, no pain. All of his children were there and many more to help.
Alan was a wonderful father (Kevin reflects that), and husband and Grandfather. He was loved by all who knew him, and Heavenly Father needs him now for much greater work.
Thank you Dad for loving my children, for loving Kevin and I, and for loving the gospel and our Savior. We will miss you so!