Well, our ship-mate answered The Masters call to duty this morning about 5 am Central Obamastan time, lots of tears in the last few weeks, but his Dr. and Nurses, and as important his CNA's from the rehab where he had gone to get better, shed their share as well. LD(someone name him Leonard Dale), fought a valiant battle in the last year after a hip fracture last December. Strokes, heart attacks, UTIs and Pneumonia, he took a lot of damage. Nurse at the rehab begged them to allow him to stay, and they did, it was sweet to see their tears and know that they really did love and respect him, but then everybody did, kind and gracious, pray for Momma Dot, and the Honey Badger, Mollie and Baxie, and the rest of his 5 granddaughters and grand-son Jeb and Jed, also twins.
Twelve grandchildren and who can count the great-grandchildren?
He will be sorely missed, "fair winds and following seas", old sailor, he never missed a ships reunion for the USS Drew, and he remained close to his ship-mates, as he said good-bye to most of them. Fireman 1C, sailed on the shakedown of the George K. Mackenzie, down to Cuba on that one, built at the Bath Iron works, commissioned in 1945, struck from the inventory in 1976, a farmer, and my own personal gardener, he loved to grow things especially family and friends.
