So, I have been putting off writing on here for a couple months. I've thought about it several times, but hadn't been able to bring myself to actually do it.
Grandma and Grandpa Survis moved in with us about a year ago. Shortly after Grandpa had a heart attack. It was getting harder for Grandma to take care of him and since neither of them drove Dad had been taking them everywhere they needed to go anyhow and we were bringing them dinners on a somewhat regular basis. Also, we didn't know how much time Grandpa had left and Grandma Sharon didn't ever want to live alone. So we decided it was time that we all just live together. That was October 2012 - a couple weeks before we found out I was pregnant with Alison.
It's really made things work out a lot better. I'm not gonna lie, sometimes it's been a little rough. But all in all it's one of the best decisions we've ever made. Rex loved to go downstairs and visit Grandpa. He called him Ox-y Man because he was on oxygen. Rex would go down in the morning and help grandpa eat his cinnamon toast with peanut butter on it.He'd help grandpa all the time by making sure he had his oxygen on and would carry the line around for him and help him up and down the stairs. It's really heartwarming to see such kindness in a child. Grandpa loved baby Alison too, he would always talk to her and say she's so beautiful and such a good baby.
Grandpa did really well for the first about 10 months. But the last couple months his mind was really slipping and he wasn't able to get around as much and just was having a hard time in general. Around the 1st part of November he had some back pain and wasn't feeling well so Dad took him to the hospital. They said he had a kidney infection and sent him home with meds but also on hospice since it was increasingly harder for grandma to care for him. So they nurses would come over a few times a day to help him shower and give him meds and make sure he was doing ok.
On November 18th we came home from work and grandma said that grandpa had a small stroke so he wasn't really able to talk or to get out of bed. We had dinner and then daddy went and checked on him and he was peacefully sleeping. The next morning grandma came upstairs and asked dad to come check on grandpa again. He was still peaceful, but no longer with us. He had passed away sometime during the night. The days after are so much of a blur. Trying to tell our 3 year old that his grandpa ox-y man wasn't with us anymore was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. It took a few days for Rex to really "get" it. We were all able to say goodbye & Rex told him he loved him lots. We had a really nice party to celebrate his life and for people to talk and share stories about was a great guy he was. I hope Rex, being so young, will have a few memories of his Grandpa Ox-y Man.
This is what daddy had to say about his dad...
"Yesterday,
I lost someone in my life that I greatly respected and loved. While we
may have never done what many would consider normal father/son
activities, he was one of the greatest influences of my life, and am
grateful for everything that he has done for me and taught me. His
personality was magnetic, I have never met another person that people
gravitated towards more so than my father. He had
a charm about him that people loved, and would genuinely be happy to
see and talk to. I know many of my friends growing up considered him a
second father and I know he will be missed by them a great deal. I'm
very glad that he was able spend time laughing and playing with my son
and daughter over this past year and I know they will miss him very
much. One of the most important things instilled in me while growing up
was the importance of a family sitting around the dinner table sharing a
meal together. I will truly miss sitting around the dinner table
laughing, joking and discussing how the day had went. I love you and
will miss you so very much you will always be in my thoughts and heart." - Chad
Also here is the obituary...
Donald William Survis 8/6/26 - 11/19/2013
Don Survis, 87, passed away Tuesday, November 19 comfortably in his
sleep at his residence. He was the first of seven children born to
Charles and Mildred Survis of West Bend, WI.
Don joined the Air
Force and became a pilot in World War II. He loved planes and told great
stories about his time in the service. After he was honorably
discharged, he married Darlene and together they had six children;
Bruce, Cynthia, Karen, Trudy, Michelle, and Mary.
In May of
1979, he married the love of his life Sharon in Las Vegas, NV. They have
two sons; Cody and Chad. He enjoyed his family, painting, watching
football, and spending time at the casinos.
He is survived by his
loving wife Sharon, sons; Cody and Chad, and grandchildren; Jordyn,
Jadon, Aspyn, and Alison. He is preceded in death by his parents, three
brothers, one sister, and one daughter.
