1007. Memories from 2 years ago, just before my husband Wayne passed away.

I wrote this last night -- Sunday night, so I will leave it as I wrote it ----

Today has been a rather "sentimental" day! Today I spent part of the day at home going through all the cards, etc., that I received after my husband Wayne passed away almost 2 years ago.  

Wayne loved baseball!  And he found this little sign at a yardsale, and got it!  This picture of him was taken when we went on a cruise with people from my high school class, around 2005.

Just 2 years ago today (written Sunday the 18th) we made the decision to start on Hospice.  It was a Thursday, and they came on Friday with a wheelchair and a walker.  Up until then he hadn't used them.  He was on dialysis, and a feeding tube, and quite weak.  But he still managed to dress himself most of the time, and get around in our house, without complaining. 

 Two years ago tonight, (a Thursday Feb. 18th) our daughters Delsy and Anita and I played games with Wayne, and he won some of them.  When one of them congratulated him, he said "Naturally!"  He always said "I feel lucky!" when we would begin to play family games.  Also that night 2 years ago, the girls and I and Wayne watched "Wheel of Fortune", which Wayne and I had watched almost every weekday evening.  He even guessed some answers first!

  I have a sore throat, and I stayed home from Church today, so I can be feeling good to go to Mesa, Arizona, this Friday!  I had a new great grandchild born on January 23rd, this year, and I am flying down there with 2 daughters, Delsy and Anita, to see him!  Another daughter, Angie (Angela) will go down Friday night to be with us!

It will be so fun to watch him grow up.  I believe he resembles his grandmother, my daughter Tacy, when she was a baby!

Our daughter Tacy, who is the grandmother of Avery.  She was named after Wayne's aunt Tece', who lived in Sweden.  The name Tece' in Swedish is pronounced Tacy, so we spelled it that way.  Wayne visited his aunt in the early 1950's while on his mission to Sweden when young.  We went on a mission together to Sweden in 1994-1995.  

This was taken at our 60th wedding anniversary party, in September 2015.  Wayne was wearing a badge Anita had made for  him, saying "I feel lucky!"

I took this picture after Wayne passed away -- showing in the back the flag that was on his casket, his picture, and the leprechaun doll, "Jasper", that he loved.

Wayne loved children, especially our great grandchildren!  This is a beautiful little great granddaughter named Ruby!  I noticed early on that he loved children.  Wherever we went, he would try to smile and talk to little children!  That impressed me a lot!

This is a picture he sent me while he was in the army, when we were writing before our marriage.  When my mother, who was a teacher, saw the picture, she said "Look at that boy -- he is so proud to be with a soldier!"  He was the son of the Mission President in that area.

I love this picture.  This was taken around 2004, when Wayne was writing about his life for our life story book.  He made sure that "Jasper" was sitting close by!

This was taken while on our mission in Connecticut.  The young missionaries loved Wayne, and he loved them!  This was him "showing off" for the missionaries at some ward party.

Saturday, the day before he passed away, we had 2 sets of visitors.  Valerie and Brandon Wainwright, dear friends came down from Cedar City, and stayed awhile.  When I went in and told him they were there, he said he could come in the living room if I could take him in his wheelchair, which I did.  Later that afternoon dear friends, Norma and Glen Hovey came, and he sat in the recliner we had in our bedroom.  The men talked some of their days in the army, etc.  Norma and Glen ended up buying our condo in St. George, which helped me be able to move up here with Wayne (our son) and Julie more easily!  They are dear friends!  

Later that evening, as he sat down to watch a BYU game, our son McKay called him, which he did several times during each game.  When we put the phone to Wayne's ear, he started sort of mumbling and I was immediately concerned.  We called the Hospice nurse and she came quickly.  After examining him she told me she didn't think he would last the night.  Our daughter Delsy was there, and began calling various family members, letting them say goodbye to him.  I had signed up for Anita and I to usher at a St. George Musical Theater musical, and Anita went without me.  She got home around 10 p.m., but felt badly that she hadn't been there for some of those calls.

  We actually didn't know it was so close to his passing.  He had wanted to live until our grandson Jacob (Jake) would return from his mission in Indonesia the following August.  Several of our family members who lived in town came and were there for awhile.  One of the last we were able to contact was our son Wayne, who had been in a concert by the Tabernacle Choir.  When we did get him, and put the phone to Wayne's ear, our son told him "Dad, walk toward the light!"  He was responsive to some of the calls, and knew who they were.  

He had been given two Priesthood blessings, both of which told him he wouldn't have pain as he passed away.  The Hospice nurse brought both morphine and lorazepam.   I asked him if he was in pain and wanted morphine, and he shook his head "No".  I asked him if he would like something to help him sleep, and he shook his head "Yes", and he had one dose of lorazepam.  That was all!  He quietly passed away 2 or 3 hours later.   He had his sleep apnea machine on so it was difficult to tell the exact moment. 

---------------- Now finished Monday morning --------------

Those choice memories are on my mind and will be through Wednesday, which will be 2 years.  Sadly, it happened on our grandson Mathew Kramer's birthday.  His funeral was also on an unusual day -- February 29th, 2016! 

 I love him and miss him, but I know he wants me to enjoy life.  So in April I will be going on 2 exciting trips!  The first to the Southern Caribbean -- on a 7 day cruise, and the 2nd, later in April on a 2 week tour of Egypt, Jordan (Petra), and then Israel.  I hope he is there with me!