Yesterday, we lost a friend of the family.  He was 92 and for the past several months, he was pretty much out of it, not recognizing folks, not communicating, and so forth.

Dad was a song writer, writing the lyrics to many popular songs from the early 1960s -- this fellow, Dave, was the guy who wrote the music.  They were a great team, and Dave was quite creative, practically defining the "era" of the day and producing a wide range of different sounds.

Songwriters are often the unsung (ha!) heroes of music, and as a music publisher, it's my job to protect the interests of the song writers.  It was my pleasure to work with Dave.

So, Dave's passing was sad news, but to tell the truth, I'm not too sad:
...  We can all hope to live such a long life,
...  He left behind a large catalog of creativity,
...  He treated his family & friends well, and
...  (I'm sorry to say) it's a bit of a relief that he's gone.

I appreciate his accomplishments in life, so I'm not too sad.  I must be a terrible person.

I am not Buddhist, but have always found these words to be helpful.

"Impermanent are all component things, They arise and cease, that is their nature: They come into being and pass away, Release from them is bliss supreme."

Thank you all for the comfort.

My mom died in Feb just a few months shy of her 90th birthday. When she died I felt the same way. She lived a long happy life but at the end it was time and she was ready. She went peacefully. It's the best any of us can really hope for.

My Father passed away of a massive heart attack.. in front of me.. on my 40th Birthday..

It's now been 14 years...

.. and those images in my head will never be erased...

As I get increasingly older, 70, 80 and 90 seem to be hurtling my way at an ever increasing pace  .  .  .  I've told my wife (who is quite a bit younger than I), that as long as I have my eyes, my mind and my hands in working order, I'll deal with the rest as it comes  .  .  .  I'm sure Dave had much the same mindset, especially being a creative  .  .  .  92 seems a nice long lifetime, well, unless you're 91, then it must seem unbearably short  .  .  .  having the fruits of your father, and Dave's efforts as a remembrance is a wonderful gift to share over and over  .  .  .  here's to both their memories  .  .  .  and, no, feeling relief for the end of another's suffering doesn't make you a "terrible person"  .  .  . 

SOS

My Dad died at 74, and it was fairly hard on me.  Until he fell ill with the cancer that killed him, he was active and enjoying a good life.  I felt like he was cheated out of some good years and I was cheated out of some time with him.

His mom, my grandmother died a year later at the age of 103.  In contrast, she had lived much longer than most, had done many things, but for years had been suffering from ill health.  She could barely see, could barely hear, couldn't walk and all her savings had dwindled away.   She couldn't have any meaningful interactions with anyone and couldn't do any of the activities she enjoyed.  When she passed away, I felt much like you do now.  She lived a long life, most of it good and it was her time.  I didn't feel bad she died.  I felt good she lived a good, long life.

My dad passed 2 weeks ago at the age of 85. Yes, he had a good run, but it still seemed to soon - not sure how I could feel any different.

Maybe I'm the terrible one.