Friends and Family Dying. (communities, years, adult, husband)

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by lauradrops

I can relate to losing the last person to share memories with. My immediate family have all passed within a period of 5 years, I was only 49 when the last one died.

Very strange feeling to have no one who remembers the past but you.

I am sorry for your loss.

It must be strange indeed. I think about that with my brother, who died in 2006 at 51. Sometimes I remember things we did and smile, but he is the only one with whom I shared the memory.

[mlb]

My first grandparent died when I was 15. I saw how it deflated my dad (it was his mother).

The last died when I was 30 (my maternal grandmother). It deflated me because I was in the middle of a personal loss of a boyfriend who dumped me.

My dad died at 80. I was 47. Mom died at 94. I was 60.

It will not really hit me hard until I start losing siblings.... I have 6. 3 are older than I am - 3 are younger.

We have stayed close - even tho we’re not close geographically.

[NYgal1542]

Originally Posted by lauradrops

I can relate to losing the last person to share memories with. My immediate family have all passed within a period of 5 years, I was only 49 when the last one died.

Very strange feeling to have no one who remembers the past but you.

I am sorry for your loss.

I am the last of the family to survive. And it does get sad some days. I had two sisters, both were older than me. The oldest one died 2 or 3 years ago and that was it. I miss her because she had a great sense of humor. She had cerebral palsy. We did stuff together. The middle sister died in 1999. We did not have the same easy-going relationship as I had with the oldest one. Many times I'll hear or see something that reminds me of her.

[jbgusa]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

I just lost another friend today, this time from pancreatic cancer. He was 8 years younger than me, and didn't even get his three score and ten. .

I'm 62 and rolling along in good health. It's scary when:

1. A law colleague of mine who is six years younger had a heart attack in June;
2. A former friend with whom I had a falling out who is three and a half years younger than me was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; and
3. A friend of mine a year younger than I am has had just about every health challenge known to man.

Am I jinxing myself by writing this?

[TimAZ]

So many stories dwelling on the past and memories of days long gone. Does this imply that you folks have no interest in your futures? IMO the past is often better remembered than it was lived.

[luvmyhoss]

My BH had a group of 5 friends. One died in 2008, 2 ( brothers) died within a year of each other. 65 and 68.
The next one, after saying to his daughter Only two of us left. Died a week later.

BH is the last man standing.
Sad, but life

[Larry Caldwell]

Originally Posted by TimAZ

So many stories dwelling on the past and memories of days long gone. Does this imply that you folks have no interest in your futures? IMO the past is often better remembered than it was lived.

The past was real. The future is a fantasy. Plus, you reach a certain time in your life when there isn't much future left. You start limiting your plans because you won't live long enough to finish the project, or don't have the physical stamina to even start.

It's just a part of life.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by TimAZ

So many stories dwelling on the past and memories of days long gone. Does this imply that you folks have no interest in your futures? IMO the past is often better remembered than it was lived.

It's more about remembering people who are gone.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by double6's

^this^...absolutely..I'm 71 and all of my old road dog running buddies have passed on..every one of them..some I knew from our early 20's..immediate family still kicking, so there's that, but are you blessed or cursed when you're that last one out of a lifelong group that you made those memories with?..

I graduated high school in 2004. Between 10%-15% of the graduating class is already dead. Most of those were drug overdoses or similar, but it's sobering how many people were gone by 30. My best friend committed suicide at 27 and I've lost other friends through various accidents.

[elnrgby]

Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell

Cities are ugly, filthy, and crowded. If I don't want to live any longer, moving to one would kill me. I can't imagine living in such squalor.

Sorry, I just saw your comment now. Well, to each his own I guess :-). It is very well known that there are people who can't bear living in a city, and people who can't bear living anywhere else. Either attitude towards city living tends to extend into retirement, as far as I have noticed. If city is not your kind of thing, there are other things that can still be meaningful til the very end, even after losing everyone that mattered.