Why has 2003 seen so much death?

TresHappy

Today I walked into my office and learned my head boss at the college had died of a heart attack the previous Friday night. Absolutely devastated about this. Actually all of us who worked with him weren't fond of him at times, but no one wished bad things upon him. He was just 60 years old.

In June another teacher who had just retired from the school died of cancer.

In April, another one of my colleagues dropped dead at my college of a major heart attack. She was just 56.

In February a secretary I worked with died of breast cancer. Dead at 46.

This is the fourth death at my job THIS YEAR. I am devastated and sad and it's got everyone down here at the school. Never have I worked at a place where so many I knew or knew of have passed away.

Tomorrow I say goodbye to another colleague, and this is by far going to be the hardest one yet. He hired me back in 1995.

cruzanheart

I'm so sorry, Tres Happy. Same thing at my office this year: my dad started it off, followed the next week by the father of one of the name partners, then two weeks after that the mother-in-law of the Office Manager, and then a month after that the mother of the Executive Director. We've all been feeling pretty orphaned this year. I don't know why, but it does seem like a lot of people are dying even among celebrities. And daily one more soldier is killed in Iraq. Yucky all around.

Um, I think I'll schedule a physical . . . .

Nina

Nathan Natas

If you die young, you'll never see your friends and associates dwindle but if you live long enough...

(This is in no way meant to be an endorsement of early death.)

Ecclesiastes was always my favorite book of the bible. It is almost Taoist.

Special K

It's sounds like you and your colleagues have a very sad year to go through.

life is precious and you never know what each day will hold..

Enjoy all the kodak moments you can with family and friends....and stop and smell the roses with someone you love. Give time to children and children give time to your parents...

Life is .. a very precious thing.

sorry that you are having so many losses around you this year

sincerely

Special K

TresHappy

It's not just at work, I have mentioned my grandma's death in May in an earlier thread. There have been more deaths at work that I didn't mention, however I personally didn't know these people. It seems every week I get an e-mail from someone announcing a colleague/retiree had died.

As much as my head boss used to bug me (and especially my immediate boss), we were all left in a sad haze today. He had worked at the college for 26 years and planned to retire next year.

Thanks everyone for the kind words, and as said above, life is precious.

BluesBrother

Sincere condolonces to Tres happy and to Nina. Hey that seems a horribly formal expression, I just mean that I do feel for you when loved ones and friends pass away.

The death of my Mother , some years ago now, was perhaps the saddest experience of my life. It was the feeling of loss that I could not experience any other way.

When I was a dub I always knew what to say , because the answers were all there. Now we have to deal in realities , and there is no real answer. I am just very sorry ..............

oldcrowwoman

My condolences goes out you and those have experienced losses. Yeah I don't know if its the 2003 year thing.

I don't know if its a cycle. Or because of a larger population. Or if I'm going into my silver years more aware of the mortality rate.

I too experience 3 co workers , a paramedic heart attack, Nurse from cancer and a security guard took his life. A aunt from alcoholism recently.

In my work environment I see life, babies born, nasty wrecks and death. And tonight I wanted to go to bed cause today is one of those hard days. I just wanted time out. I said no I need not to carry this to bed with me. Writing seems to help put it out there to the universe and to let go in some way.

The tears are streaming down my face. 3 month old died suspect neglect. And a 3 yr old a car wreck. Been hanging with me all afternoon. I stopped to see my 4 month old granddaughter and 3 1/2 yr old Grand son. And just held them for a long time. Life is so precious . I wonder why certain situations happens life? I have no answers! How helpless children are and vulnerable.

I am angry that the baby was not being taken care of. He did not deserve it!! Some days I wonder? I feel sad!

I am very sorry!!

OCW

OICU8it2

Happens like that once in a while. Two years ago I lost a wife, a father in law, a mother in law, a biker buddy crashed and died, a former young apprentice of mine in a car crash, and a grandmother. Last week a coworker collapsed on the job and died at work. You'll get thru it. You're tougher than you think. Thoughts with you, Carlton

blacksheep

Yours is a very personal post. I am sorry about the loses. I truly am. But, as I read the newspapers and find that life expectancies are ever expanding and more people are being saved from deadly diseases (at least in this country), I cannot feel the same perception that 2003 represents an inordinate year of loss. I'm not trying to be callous, believe me. I've had specific years in which several of my friends and relatives died. 2002, in particular, was a VERY hard year for me, not simply due to deaths, but to some very personal non-death tragedies. I just don't think you can universalize it.

Death is incredibly hard, no doubt. But, sadly, it's part of existence, and we have to somehow reconcile it as part of life...

Best of luck! Sorry for your losses.

blondie

I have noticed that more and more people of my generation are dying, people from school, family, and workmates. Statistically, I am entering a generation whose bodies are wearing down more than when we were in our 20's. The people a generation ahead of me are even on a steeper slope. We thought we would never get old, let alone die and JWs are not alone in that illusion. We thought it would never happen to us or to our contemporaries.

With my husband's recent heart failure and brush with death only in his late 40's, this reality has struck home. While statistically many people in general may hope to live into their 70's or 80's, not one of us has that guaranteed to us as individuals.

Sorry for your dismay, (((Tres Happy.)))

Blondie

Remember that yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery
and today is a gift, that's why they call it the present.--Loretta Laroche

Why has 2003 seen so much death?

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