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Service April 30 2011 Many farm tools and things he used and valued.
Mother's Day 2011 006
me and mom2
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May 27, 2011
Hi all,
This letter is long overdue but so much happened in April. We were in Seattle visiting son David, Angel and Sasha as she celebrated her first birthday. We got a phone call that my brother Don had gone to doctor for his pre op appointment for a knee replacement scheduled the end April. While visiting the doctor, they found clogged arteries and decided a bypass surgery was in order. Two days later he went through a four way bypass and aortic valve replacement which lasted 8 hours. He just never really woke up from the surgery and had strokes. He lived a couple of weeks and with his big family all around him he passed very gently and peacefully away. He had a blessed life and was doing yard work up until then. He had been active and as far as we knew he was healthy. It was a shock but also a blessing that he did not linger. We have so many great memories as he and wife Pauline traveled allover the world with us. We had many good times to look back on.
It was on his 85th birthday his celebration of life was held and just a few years ago the four of us celebrated his birthday in Stonehenge England. We were on our way to the southernmost tip of England to spend a week near Penzance.
We went on a transatlantic cruise also in April as it was planned way ahead of time. We did have a wonderful trip across the Atlantic and we stopped only once at Gibralter where we had been twice before with Don and Pauline. Brought back many memories. We had seen the monkeys before so chose not to this time. We continued on our journey to Rome and then flew back to Seattle from there. We were on the Azamara and it was a small ship and the best cruise we could remember. Food, service, prices, everything was first class
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We returned to Live Oak towards the end of April for some busy times there. Our church, Church of the Brethren, celebrated its 100th anniversary in May. My grandfather was the founding elder so it has been a part of my family for that long. I played the organ for the 2 day celebration and saw many relatives and friends whom I had not seen for a long time. It was truly a wonderful week end.
We are now back in Seattle for a couple more weeks visiting before we return home and then head East via Texas first part of July. We have another busy summer planned with volunteering for 2 months. More about that later.
I trust this finds you in good health and enjoying life. Live every minute as if it were your last. We are well and healthy and just looking forward to whatever life brings us. We give gratitude in all,
Drop us a line as we always like hearing what is going on with you,
Love and hugs to you all,
Ric and Jan(ice)
