Uncle Dale, Dale Thorp of Kansas City, passed away Thursday night at 10:01 PM. His daughter and son and wife were there with me at his side. He had suffered from and bravely fought cancer for 16 years, but when it spread to his kidneys, causing them to fail, he decided enough was enough and to go out on his own terms.
He did so with the calm business-like courage that characterized his life.
Yes, I'll miss the man terribly -- he was always fun to be around and a font of good advice when you were smart enough to take it. How I wish we could have him back hale & hearty. But he was neither. The diseases he fought had left him with nothing but the dregs. He had drank the cup of life to the bottom and he wisely knew his time had come.
I hope I can be as brave when my time comes, and I hope my family is there with me as ours was with him.
Heck, if he'd been lucky enough to die in his home town of Kansas City, Missouri, the hospital would have had to rent a hall to accommodate all who would have wanted to be at his side.
Thanks for all your help, Uncle D. You were the greatest Uncle a boy and a man could have.
PS - A nice shout out to the nurses and staff of the Physicians Medical Center of Naples, Florida. Y'all were just fantastic. Much obliged.
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