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My Father passed away on June 30TH . It was my birthday. I woke up that morning to give him his meds and all was normal. Later in the morning  it became apparent that he was having a stroke. He passed away that afternoon with his nurses and my family by his side.
His name was Donald Cranford and he was 76 years old. My family and I have been his caregivers for the past 6 years. After a second open heart surgery in the fall of 2006 for a triple by-pass and the repair of three valves he was virtually bed-ridden.
He was a proud and honest man. His heart was full of laughter. He loved animals and talked often of his dogs DeeDay and Joey and his cat Buddy. He loved the ocean so much , so in 2006 after his heart surgery we moved him to the beach so that he could live out his remaining time there.
I loved him with all of my being. I grew to know him in a different way during these past 6 years. His sense of humor was enormous . I came to realize how much like him I was. He had such a kind loving heart. He always told us that he loved the peacefulness of our home.
I am going to miss him so much. Our home seems so empty and quiet now. I still feel the need to watch the clock for medicine time. I still listen for him to call me...
He was such a special man and all of us who were intertwined in his world will feel the sadness of his passing. I feel blessed and honored to have been the person he trusted with his care. I feel I earned his respect and I cherish that.
My heart is breaking , but I know he is at peace now and his pain is over. I know he is waiting for me and when my time comes, he will grab my hand as he has done so many times in the past, and say *I love you and don't you ever forget it* and pull me safely in his arms and take me home.