At Least He Wasn't Boring

                       DAVID ELMER PUZEY - May 6, 1946 - December 11, 2010

Portrait my husband Jason drew for Dad's Funeral and to give to my mom.

 I stare at the screen and I don't quite know what to say.  I've started and restarted this blog many times.  How do you put into words how much you love someone, how much you miss them, how much they meant to you?  I hope he knew. 

If this seems like alot of personal information it's because I'm treating my blog as my journal and I feel like I need to write it down. I guess I'll start at the beginning.  My sweet Dad had been fighting bile duct cancer for about a year and had been doing quite well.  We knew the tumors were inoperable, but he was tolerating chemo treatments so well and the tumors appeared to be shrinking a bit.  Sometime in November Dad began to get very jaundiced so mom and he went to the doctor.  They discovered a blockage and ordered a procedure to put in a stint to be able to drain around the blockage.  That seemed to go okay, and about a week later they decided to do a second surgery to eliminate the bag on the outside of Dad's body before they started chemo again.  My sister Rachel and her husband Jared brought Dad up to Calgary for the day surgery and despite alot of pain for Dad things seemed to be successful.  He went home that afternoon and they even stopped in Nanton for Chinese food. 

The next morning Dad was very sick and running a fever.  Mom took him to High River where he had been receiving treatments.  He was admitted, was very dehydrated and they suspected an infection.  He was hooked up to fluids and antibiotics and we thought he was on the mend.  The next morning mom received a call from the hospital expecting it to be telling her that she could come and get Dad.  Instead it was the doctor telling mom that things were bad, the infection had moved into his blood and was starting to shut down organs.  They said if his children were able, to come to the hospital quickly because they didn't think Dad was going to make it.  Mom called me and told me.  To say I was shocked would be an understatement.  I got off the phone and fell to my knees and sobbed.  I phoned a friend to help me with the boys, called Jason and we headed to High River.  We all spent the day with Dad.  He slept alot.  Waking periodically and was happy we were all there.  We all hugged him and told him we loved him.  We comforted each other.  At one point when Dad was sleeping we were all having a cry, he woke up saw us all crying and said "you guys having a moment", we told him we were, he responded with "well you have your moment and I'll go back to sleep".  One time during the day he even told mom to "get control".  He could make us laugh right up to the end.

After a blessing from his sons everyone started to leave.  Dave and his family stayed at a hotel in High River, Jared, Amber and Rachel and Jared needed to get home to their children.  Jason went to get the boys from our friend's house.  I stayed with mom.  I am so grateful that I did.  I just had a feeling that Dad wasn't going to make it through the night.  They brought a cot in for mom and when I decided I'd need some sleep there was a private family room I could go to.  We sat with Dad.  He had stopped being able to wake up to talk to us, sometimes he'd open his eyes but never responded.  Then he peacefully slipped away at 1:20 a.m. December 11th, 2010. 


Dad with his girls




My boys with their Poppa - Dad loved his grandkids

 I still have a hard time believing he is gone.  He has been such a big part of my life.  Other than my husband he was the most important man in my life.  I could always count on my Dad - always!!  There was nothing he wouldn't do for me.  When I was younger we fought alot.  We were alot alike - made it easy to butt heads.  But oh how I loved him.  One of my favorite memories with my Dad was laying on his bed with him, just the two of us watching a Fawlty Towers marathon on TV and laughing so hard my stomach hurt.  If I watch Coronation Street or see anything British for the rest of my life I will always think of him.  He was always doing something silly - but not on purpose.  Paying for groceries at the store and pulling what he thought was his chequebook out of his pocket and pulling out a TV remote.  Showing Jared how he saw a bird land - charades style in the front yard and turning around and his neighbour was standing behind him.  Walking through the grocery store with his cart and looking down and seeing a cane hanging on the cart - he'd stolen some old man's cart away from him.  He always told us that he wanted the phrase "At Least He Wasn't Boring" on his headstone.  I don't think we'll do it - but the phrase is true.   He was a good man, loving, kind, a friend to everyone, a great husband, dad and grandpa.  I loved how much he loved my mom.  He adored her and I learned from him to not settle for anything less.  I'm proud to be his daughter.

We had a beautiful service for Dad.  He had always told mom that he thought he would have a small funeral.  We filled the church all the way to the back of the gym.  The meet the family line was non stop and was so comforting to receive so many hugs.  Mom was so strong and tried to talk to everyone, Dave gave a wonderful eulogy, Jared a beautiful graveside prayer and Rachel and I each played a piano solo.  I know Dad would have been proud of his family.  He will be missed, but never forgotten.  

Wheat on the corners of the casket - we thought this was fitting.