I know that I don't post often, but I read this board daily. Anyway, I just wanted to pass on the information that my father passed away last week. He was 81 and in semi-poor health. He has fallen several times, had to be admitted and then be in the nursing home for therapy. He had just been out of the nursing home this time less than 1 week when he fell again. Only this time he hit his head and got an internal bleed. He went into a coma and there was nothing they could do for him. It was very sad to just sit there for hours, periodically talking with him while he was in the coma, and wait for him to die.
I am just so very glad that just a couple of weeks before this my fiance and I announced our engagement to him. He was so happy. Even though I am no longer a JW and my fiance never has been, he truly liked him and I think that in his mind he felt more at ease knowing I'd found such a nice man.
Anyway, I was dreading the Memorial Service (he was cremated and there was no funeral home thing) at the KH that I grew up in. My dad was PO was many years and also the Circuit Assembly Overseer for many years, so everyone seemed to know him in this and surrounding Circuits. The main thing I dreaded was expecting the usual 'JW Propaganda Talk' and all those people wondering where I have been the past 8 years....but, I was pleasantly surprised. Unlike the normal talks, which hardly spoke about the deceased and just preached to people, the brother who did the talk did an excellent job. He spoke alot about my dad, his likes, events in his life, and the talk was not too "JW-like". That meant alot to me, as well as to my worldly relatives.
People were not snotty to me, as I expected. I am not DF'd or DA'd, but some in the past have chosen to shun me or cut me off from communications. But even those spoke to me and were kind.
However, my fiance and I have recently moved to a new area, so, now that that was stated in the obituary, I'm just waiting to see if I get a sheparding call or something. Oh well....if they do, they do. I just wanted to relate an actual good experience at the service, rather than what I had expected.
Thanks for listening......