Sunday, January 23, 2022
Bruno passed away on January 21, 2022 in the 1 o'clock hour. Sharon and I were at his side. Bruce and Christine were away from Sheridan at Tyler Creek, but were as quick to rejoin us as possible.
It was Sharon who wondered aloud whether her Dad was still breathing. Throughout the morning he had grown weaker.
Confirmation of his death took what seems like an inordinate amount of time.
The priest did no arrive until after Bruno passed, but nevertheless conveyed a blessing over him and sought to comfort us, who were all still weeping.
When we moved Bruno out of the house to Tyler Creek in November neither Sharon nor I imagined that Bruno's decline would be as quick as it was. It was his dementia, I think -- more than the effects of the stroke -- and his unmanageable sleep habits that convinced us he would be better off elsewhere. And I think he was.
When we visited him the night before he died the nurse told us that we should expect his death soon. He was struggling -- loudly, somewhat violently -- to reconcile himself with the next stage of his soul's journey. Still, I hoped. And was not wholly prepared for his death.
The twenty years we lived together shaped us both. The turmoil of the initial years of our lives together are especially regrettable. Although we had no lingering arguments, and for the past few years -- certainly since Arianna left for UD -- we were at peace. I'd like to think I was even a bit of a help to him as his mental state, his vision, and physical stamina declined.
He is now in God's hands.