bookofmirrors | Oct. 26th, 2009

blckwngdorcl's father died today.

We were kindasorta expecting it, but then also not. He had had a stroke/mini-strokes about a week ago; hearing the description of what was going on (underplayed by

blckwngdorcl's mother), it seems that these were the latest in a string of the same. At any rate, he had been hospitalized, and was no longer, we were told, the person we remembered. He was 87, and apparently forgetfulness had blossomed into full-blown dementia.

(As an aside, something very similar happened to my grandmother, who was acting mildly confused and eccentric prior to 3 surgeries in a week, which brought on what turned out to be Alzheimer's full on.)

He was a sweet man. He died peacefully in his sleep, in the presence of his wife. He simply stopped breathing.

He had great stories, both charming and tear-jerking, about his life - in general, from WWII, where he flew in the ~~Mediterranean Theatre~~ (CORRECTION: I have since been told that he actually flew in the) American and European Theatres(. Sorry for the confusion!); and opinions on life.

He loved his heritage, often checking to see if there were any Albertinis listed in the phone book wherever he was.

He loved to golf, and was apparently invited to join the country club in his area, in spite of being Italian, which was a no-no at the time, because he was so well-liked.

He lost a daughter to cancer, but not before gaining a son (my husband) through adoption. His oldest son, Pete, bears his name.

He helped raise his 2 granddaughters, both of whom are wonderful people. As is the rest of his family, for that matter. I'm happy to be a part of it.

He turned down positions that would have gained him a fortune, because they went against his principles.

He credits his wife, a minister's daughter, for allowing him to accept Jesus in his heart, after being (if I understood the story correctly) an atheist for many years. He had a beautiful faith, and I have no doubt he'll find himself in his Heaven.

Re-Tweeted from BlckwngdOrcl: To my Father. He was the best father I could have chosen. As it turned out, he chose me. http://twitpic.com/n3itl