Losing My Dad Last Year
By angel_smiles
@Lolaze (5092)
St. Louis, Missouri
December 20, 2015 1:02pm CST
A year ago December 4th, I worked late against my better judgement. I was working as a nanny for 13 year old twins - many just driving them to activities and staying with them after dark. Their mom text me that day and asked if I'd work later, she really wanted to go out for a few drinks with a friend. I wasn't exactly in the mood to do it but I knew she'd been stressed out lately, so I said yes. Once she got home, I went to Subway for dinner and Whole Foods to get a few things. I had no clue what was to come.
I got home a bit after 9pm and headed to the family room to let my dad know I was home, like I did every night. He hadn't felt well lately so I wanted to see how he was feeling too. I was a bit annoyed as I walked into the kitchen and saw the family room door open. He wasn't supposed to do that since he smoked in the family room and I was allergic. I sighed and dropped my stuff on the kitchen table. My annoyance lasted about two seconds - I turned the corner and saw him laying on the floor.
I screamed and ran out to him. When he went down, a bar stool had fallen on top of him. I threw it off and started shaking him, he felt cold. His mouth was open, his eyes were open and glassy. My mom had heard me scream and came running from the other end of the house where she'd been sleeping. I screamed for her to call 911 but the only phone was by me. I yelled for her to close the dogs up in the bedroom then and dialed 911 myself. I don't remember what I even said to the 911 dispatcher but I know I was on the phone with him until the paramedics arrived.
Part of me knew my dad was already gone, but I still had to try. I started doing CPR, my mom let the paramedics and cops in the house about 3 minutes later. The pronounced my dad dead when they arrived. We never had an autopsy done but we believe it was a heart attack. The next 4 hours were the worst of my life. The police asked all the usual questions and did paperwork, then called the mortuary for us. It was over 3 hours before they arrived.
The trainee officer and his instructor stayed at our house the entire time, spending about an hour and a half talking with us and then another hour sitting in their car in front of our house so we could let the dogs out. When the morticians arrived, I took one look at them and uttered, "Wow, you sure look the part!" They wore black wool overcoats and black brimmed hats, which they removed as they entered our house. They let us say goodbye to my dad before they wheeled him out, one thing that bothered me is they didn't close his eyes at all.
After they left, I called my half-sister because my mom just couldn't do it. No one slept that night really, I got an hour of sleep at most but I heard my dad and his best friend (who died 13 years before) laughing like they used to when they'd get together.
4 people like this
3 responses
@sallypup (69156)
• Centralia, Washington
21 Dec 15
I am sorry you found your father like that. What a shock. And then at this time of the year. My brother passed suddenly at age 43 a few years back on Dec. 23. Just horrible for my Mom especially. Hugs from me.




