Tuesday, February 21, 2006
I am sorry to tell everyone, Theo died yesterday February 20, at 3:33 p.m. in my arms and with his Daddy's arms around both of us. He finally left peacfully, but this whole last week has been really terrible. All weekend, we were just watching and waiting. We are both doing ok right now. We feel so greatly relieved that he is not in any more pain and is no longer suffering in any way. I went out today to run some errands and it felt so strange not worrying about what was happening at home, not having to get back to check on him, not getting up in the morning to the sound of his breathing and giving medication after medication. We know he is peaceful and happy now. I told Jamie yesterday, now Theo can fly. The following is the obituary that I wrote. It will be in several papers later on in the week. The Roanoke Times, Wise County's Coalfield Progress, Kingsport Times, Bristol Herald Courier and The Richmond Times Dispatch. The funeral will be held in this weekend in Wise County, near my hometown. We have a family cemetery there. It's on top of a mountain with beautiful views. I didn't feel right having him anywhere with a bunch of strangers. It is very far away, but I know that he isn't really there and really, it's a day's drive when we want to visit. We are having visitation hours Friday evening from 6-9 at Carty's Funeral Home in Wise VA and the service will be in the funeral home chapel on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with a short graveside service afterward. I sent out a separate email with directions and hotel information. Please know that we do not expect anyone who lives in Richmond or other far places to travel for the funeral. We are planning a memorial service for him in Richmond later on. If you do choose to come, we will be very honored to have you there. We'll be leaving town tomorrow, Wednesday and will be staying with my mother in Norton VA. I believe her number is listed with information should anyone need it. We love you all and know that you love us and are thinking of us.
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4 comments:
hello Karla and Jamie and lovely, lovely Theo.
i just wanted to send a brief note because i was so touched after reading some of your posts and wanted to send "heart-vibes" (or love or whatever but that seems a bit forward since i don't know you).
i was also so struck by the "wise soul" look of Jamie's face - perhaps he's "been around awhile"...
i loved the story about the dragonflies too. we had a similar experience with butterflies after my sister's death.
with warmest regards and sympathy,
louise noble
Karla & Jamie,
My thoughts are with you. I also will think of Theo when I see a dragonfly and I will think of the two of you and the amazing parents and people you are. Sending Love and Light, Stacy
Dear Karla and Jamie,
I am so sorry for your loss. I never met Theo personally, but he has made a tremendous impact in my life. Everytime I look into my two daughter´s eyes, I will see a glimmer of Theo, because his life has shown me how blessed I am regardless of my circumstances. He taught me to love my family more deeply than ever before. I hope that you will continue to post updates on the two of you. I look forward to meeting you, Karla, whenever you have the memorial service in Richmond. I am amazed at what a beautiful, strong, wonderful mother you are. Theo was blessed to have such a wonderful mother. I wish things could have been different, but I realize that Theo had a higher purpose in this world. He was an angel that graced us with a glimpse of his beauty. I feel blessed to have been touched by his life. My most heartfelt condolences go out to you and your family. I hope you continue to find peace even amongst this terrible time. Much love to you both.
And, Theo, you will be so missed, sweetie. But you go on and spread those beautiful wings. We´ll see you again someday!
Karla, I don’t think we have seen each other since 1988. I heard about Theo in the local newspaper and today I began to read your blog. Once I started I could not stop reading. I was glad I was alone because I cried for hours (it took a while to read the entire thing, including archives). I didn’t want to explain to anyone why I was crying I just wanted to keep reading. Afterwards, I knew that Theo could not have had a better mother or father. I was fascinated over the dragonfly stories and I was impressed by your strength and I was happy that you both were with him when the time came. I felt guilty when I thought of my children. We had a scare with Mitch when he was twelve years old and the wonderful staff at St. Jude’s with wisdom from God cured Mitch and now he is healthy and graduating this year and this very moment I feel guilty about that. This morning he got up, ran five miles, told me he loved me and left for Henderson Motorsports in Abingdon where he is on the pit crew. Now I can’t stop thinking about him and wondering if he made it to Abingdon safely and if I appreciate what I have or if I have just taken it for granted. I don’t pretend to understand why things happen like they do. I always taught my children (I also have daughter who is 13) to appreciate the little things in life but I don’t think I emphasized it like I should have and things are going to change. I thought about going to the funeral home on Friday but I didn’t know what to say and after reading your blog I would have probably said something feebleminded like the quotes you talked about on 12/19/05, but I was thinking about you on Friday. I realized while I was reading your blog on Saturday that the funeral was starting and I could not imagine what you were feeling. I felt like you and I were in two different worlds. You were experiencing this pain at the funeral and I was still reading the past (the archives). I am so glad you have someone like Jamie in your life. I have never met him but I can tell by the things you wrote and by the pictures that he is a very genuine man. You both are in my prayers.
NOTE: I wrote this Saturday, February 25th but after reading the blog I felt these were personal thoughts intended for family near and far. I felt that I invaded in your privacy. I am sending this today and I wish that one day soon you will find solace. There is no need in contacting me, I want you to spend your energies on healing both mentally and physically. The comment you made saying that Theo is the most beautiful baby that you had ever seen, I agree.
All my love,
Kelly
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