Service Time for my dad is 10:30 am, August 1st

The info is below on where it will be held, and the obituary should be in the Union/Trib. starting Wednesday or Thursday. Due to very limited space on the boat, the scattering at sea to be held on Friday will be a private ceremony.
Once again, thank you to all of you who have email, called, posted comments, or sent cards. I really appreciate everything and it is great to know my dad was appreciated, and that our family is supported so much!
Neptune Society Chapel14065 Hwy 8 Business
El Cajon, CA 92021
(619-561-6400)

My dad passed away on July 18th...

Some background:He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer (Squamous cell carcinoma) late in June and had a series of complications from that point forward. He struggled with Hypercalcemia (an increase of the calcium in his blood), which led to dehydration, impacting his concentration and cognitive capabilities. The tumor itself apparently contributed to furthering the Hypercalcemia by generating more calcium on its own. Between July 3rd and the 16th he went from being admitted into Sharp Memorial in San Diego a couple of times to being in a nursing facility and then being readmitted to Sharps on the 16th. His health quickly declined over the last couple of days with a notification late on the 16th of my dad having kidney problems. Early on the 17th we were told his kidneys were shutting down. Dave (my brother) called me at work and I left for San Diego. Yesterday morning my brother and I met with the Dr. and the condition was stated pretty clearly- at 80 years old his body was shutting down and it was time to prepare for the inevitable. We stayed with him throughout the day and at 9:48 pm my dad’s heart stopped. At 10:08 pm the Dr. officially announced the time of death.

Some acknowledgements:My brother David has done so much for my dad over the years, but in the last month he has gone from work to the hospital, then back to work and spent so much of his time and energy helping my dad, checking on him and taking care of him. I really appreciate all that he has done for our dad. The nursing staff and Dr.’s at Sharp Memorial were fantastic. They took a vested interest in our dad, were very kind to us and were compassionate to the end. They really were wonderful and could not have taken better care of him.

Alltime Padre tribute...and Father's Day? Actually it makes sense.

What is your favorite Padre moment of all time? Was it when Dave Winfield was elected to the HOF? The Padres first World Series game? Enzo Hernandez establishing the National League mark for most Sacrifice Bunts in a season...? :)

For me, my favorite Padre moment ties into Father's Day weekend. Mine was watching the Padres win all three playoff games against the Cubs in San Diego in 1984 with my Dad. My Dad's legs were not too strong, but we made it to the upper deck to watch all three games. And more specifically, the greatest moment of those games was Steve Garvey's homer against Lee Smith in game 4. The moment when the Flannery ground ball went through Leon Durham's legs in game 5 was awesome (Teddy bears began raining down from the upper deck!), but Garvey's homer still gives me goose bumps to this day. And although I love Jerry Coleman, I still hear Don Drysdale's call in my head (since from my angle I thought Henry Cotto had a chance to catch it), "Deep right field, way back! Cotto going back to the wall...it's gone!!! Home run Garvey, and there will be tomorrow!" (Don Drysdale on ABC-TV). And I saw it all with my dad... :)

MY selection for the All Time SD Padres team

I have recently posted a poll on my Facebook page asking the good folks on Facebook to select their favorite All Time Padre team as a way to celebrate the San Diego Padres' 40th Anniversary. Here I am posting my selection for the All Time Padres' team. My criteria is for performance and stats while the players are with the Padres. Why is that significant? Well, Ricky Henderson played for a few years near the end of his career with the Padres. But he is not my All Time Padre left fielder, since Gene Richards did more for the Padres throughout his career. Ricky Henderson had a FAR better MLB career, but while with the Padres, Gene Richards made more of an impact. (Make sense?) Anyway...above is my choice for the ALL TIME Padre team, and why I voted for each player.

Dad is out of the Hospital

I got a call from my brother around 3:30 pm today to tell me my dad was released from the hospital. He is home and enjoying being out of the Hospital. I called him on the way home and he sounded so glad to be out. He asked me to thank all those that sent their best wishes for him and prayers. He was truly glad to hear about people being concerned about him and asked me to tell everyone that he "has flown the cupe" and is home!
Thank you everyone for your support, and once again, thanks to my brother for taking care of him and seeing him almost every day while he was in the hospital.

The latest on my Dad...

There seems to be a disconnect in the communication with my Dad and his release! Argh! I spoke with my brother this afternoon and it seems as though the communication gap between the Dr. and the staff, etc has been cleared up. He has been assigned a discharge nurse, which is a great sign that they will now release him tomorrow (Thursday). That would be great, and he seems to really be feeling better.
My brother has been a wealth of support to my dad, and has definitely done all he can to keep me informed...so a big THANK YOU to him for taking care of so many things.

Update on my dad

I spoke with my Dad last night and he said he is feeling much better and expects to be released today. There was talk that he would be released days ago, but they were still monitoring his fluid drainage and they feel pretty confident that he will be ok to release possibly today. I have asked my brother (through talking to my dad) to call me with a disposition today...More to come, but things are looking good.