I came home from work last night and found out that he'd been in a car accident. No one seemed sure what had happened, but he'd left his home to go buy milk and ended up three towns away, where he ran into a telephone pole. It was very quick, but no one in my family seems to have quite accepted it yet. We lost my uncle a few years ago to cancer, but that was something we all knew was inevitable. No one saw this coming. I just started a new job last week and I already have to take time off now - everything's just a complete mess. We're most worried about my grandmother. She's been with him since they were in highschool together. I don't know how we're going to get through this, but I'd appreciate if you'd keep him in your prayers.

I'm sorry, You'll be in my prayers.

I'm very sorry. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers. :(

I'm so sorry...my deepest condolences to your family

I'm so sorry to hear that Liza. What a horrible shock and yeah, its going to be very tough on your grandmother.
Don't worry about the job - they'll understand (that happened to me when my father died - I had only been there a month or so but they were very good about it).
Do you know if he ever suffered from hypoglycemia (where your blood sugar drops)? I'm just wondering because my mother had that and one day after dropping me off at work, she ended up three towns over too (about an hour and a half's drive) and was found by a man sitting in the car, in the middle of the road, not knowing where she was or what she was doing. She had even driven over railway tracks. We were just so thankful that nothing happened to her like it did your grandfather. Maybe they'll be able to determine what happened if your grandmother allows an autopsy (they may require it because of the circumstances anyway).

My thoughts and prayers to your grandfather and your whole family at this time.

I'm so sorry Liza. I lost my grandfather last weekend. I'm still mourning his loss, but his death was not at all a surprise because he was sick. I can't imagine how hard this is for you and your family. Your grandfather is in my prayers.

That's terrible! I'm so sorry! I will pray for you, Emily.

Sounds like he got disoriented and confused. It is always a shock when someone dies in an accident. My dad died 3 weeks ago but he had been ill for so long that it wasn't unexprcted. Please accept my sympathy. I feel for ya! :(

Emily, I'm so sorry... I'll keep you and your family in my thoughts :(

I'm very sorry Liza. I can imagine what you feel like, like nothing bad like that would ever happen to you or your family. But your grandfather will be in my prayers.

My deepest sympathies to you and your entire family; you're in my thoughts.

Liza, I'm truly sorry for your loss. Losing a loved one is always a heartache, but when it's sudden, it adds another layer of grief. The dynamic is different...no real closure, the shock...the wondering what happened.

My prayers are with your grandfather and your family, especially your grandmother, at this difficult time.

So very sorry.

I'm so sorry :(

Liza, my deepest condolences to you and your family. Last year, I lost my grandfather. You'll be in my thoughts and prayers. :(

:bighug:

I'm very sorry for you Liza and for your grandmother. Please know that I will say a special prayer for you, her and the family.

My husband gets disoriented at times because he's diabetic so I'm always scared when he goes out.

I'm sorry :(

I am so sorry to hear of your loss. :(

I'm so so sorry to hear this, Em. May he rest in peace. :( Hope everything goes well for all of you.

Emily, I am really saddened to hear about your grandfather. In the past four years I have lost three grandparents and two uncles so I know how you feel. Your family will be in both my thoughts and my prayers.

Sorry :(

I am very sorry for your loss.

I'm so sorry to hear that Liza. What a horrible shock and yeah, its going to be very tough on your grandmother.
Don't worry about the job - they'll understand (that happened to me when my father died - I had only been there a month or so but they were very good about it).
Do you know if he ever suffered from hypoglycemia (where your blood sugar drops)? I'm just wondering because my mother had that and one day after dropping me off at work, she ended up three towns over too (about an hour and a half's drive) and was found by a man sitting in the car, in the middle of the road, not knowing where she was or what she was doing. She had even driven over railway tracks. We were just so thankful that nothing happened to her like it did your grandfather. Maybe they'll be able to determine what happened if your grandmother allows an autopsy (they may require it because of the circumstances anyway).

My thoughts and prayers to your grandfather and your whole family at this time.

Thank you. Actually he was a diabetic, and we believe that may have contributed to it. Right now they are thinking that he had two strokes - the first one just disoriented him, the second one caused him to run into a pole. We can at least be thankful for two things - that he went fast, and that he didn't hurt anyone else, it was a one car accident. I don't think we could take it if there had been anyone else involved or injured. I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers.

:wave:

Thank you all, I really really appreciate what you said. We had the funeral yesterday. He's at least at peace. None of us were really accepting it until we were there. But for some reason it made me feel better when we were at the grave and I saw that he was going to be buried next to my uncle, his youngest son. (This was an uncle I never met, he died in 1979), and one of my other uncles said to me and my grandmother "I'll bet they're playing catch together right now." He wanted to be back with his son so much, it was a comforting thought.

My grandmother is running around making little to no sense right now. No one's sure what's going to happen, but we know she's going to have to move soon. At times yesterday she couldn't remember our names, she was so lost. It's just a really, really hard time, but we'll get through it somehow. Thank you all for caring. It does mean a lot. I actually read some of your messages to my parents tonight, and they really appreciated it I think. Surprising how our little online community can mean that much, that we all remember each other and look out for each other when things like this happen. It's really appreciated.

:)

Liza, a very similiar thing happened to my husband's father eight years ago. He dropped his wife off at the hair salon, then crashed into a pole at a rotary. The car burst into flames, and he was burned beyond recognition. Witnesses said they saw his car careening towards the rotary with him slumped over the wheel. At least we know he was unconcious.

He was a diabetic, and they figure he had a diabetic seizure of some sort. The autopsy could only tell so much since he was burned so badly.

The police picked his wife of 57 years up at the salon to give her the devastating news. They were so close...retired on Cape Cod for 20 years. They did everything together....traveled a lot, had five children and 17 grandchildren. He was 77, and she was 75. They were very youthful looking and active.

She's almost 84 today. She remains strong for her family, but she's never been the same. She's lost without him and talks about how much she misses him. She reads his old letters from when he served in WWII. She lives through his letters and photos.

It will be difficult for your grandmother, but with the love and support of her family, she will get through this. Although, her life will never be the same again.

That is so sad for the both of them. That's why I suspected the low blood sugar thing - or something to do with diabetes. If left long enough out of balance, they'll go into a diabetic coma easily. As you say, at least he went fast, and if he was unconscious or took a bad enough stroke, would not have been aware of what was happening.

Hopefully you're grandmother will be alright with the love and support from the family. I'm sure you have a lot of great memories of him. I never knew my grandfathers so that's nice to have.

I am so sorry about your loss. I am praying for you right now (sorry if my response is a little late). :(

...we know she's going to have to move soon.

That would probably be wise. After my grandfather passed away, everyone urged my grandmother to sell the house. It was too big for her alone. But she just couldn't let it go. So she kept putting it off. Today, she still lives in the old house and it's become impossible for her to care for it, let alone of herself.

It's been horrible to watch her fade way amid her memories. I hope that doesn't happen to your grandmother, Emily. I'll keep you in my prayers.