From retired Chaplain Michael Broyles:
It is with a heavy heart that I must let you know that Linda has passed. This is a mixed blessing; in that my wife of 31 years is now free of her crippling Alzheimer’s – yet I do miss the love of my life.
Linda’s desire has always been to be cremated and it is being honored. Her ashes will then be spread on her father’s grave in Greensboro, North Carolina.
This has been a four and a half years journey. Except for the past three months Linda had been her “southern bell” self. She had been happy and always wanting to contribute to the household. She would take the trash out, wash the dishes, and help with the household laundry.
In September Linda began to rapidly decline. So, she had to accept not being able to help – which bothered her. Her favorite thing to do the past three months was to watch TV and sleep in her chair. Until the last nine days Linda was able to use her walker to get around. She would wander around the house opening drawers to see what was in them (she was no longer able to recall events) – even up to five minutes past. Yes, her behavior was much like a two-year-old – getting into everything. Once, when I had stepped out of the kitchen, Linda took the ketchup and poured it out on the kitchen table and used it like finger painting. She did not realize she had done anything wrong. Linda told me “I was only playing in it”.
With the assistance of St. Luke’s hospice, she was comfortable her entire time the past nine days – when she was unconscious or sleeping 24 hours a day. Linda’s passing is a blessing. Alzheimer’s disease is the long goodbye and now it has been terminated.
Following Linda’s wishes, there will not be a memorial nor remembrance service. She had a strong feeling that these events were NOT welcome. As mentioned above, the plans are for her sisters to spread the ashes on her father’s grave in Greensboro, North Carolina.
