[Magdalen] Another Bereavement

[Christopher Hart]

Dear Friends in the Pub,

I want to let you all know that my father, Oliver James Hart (Jr.), passed
away early this morning. He was a week shy of his 93rd birthday, but had
not been in good health for some time. His legs were weak and his hearing
was very poor, but you can manage those issues. More recently, however, he
had developed dementia. He and his second wife (a.k.a. stepmother although
I hold no affection for the woman) lived in Sarasota, Florida and had moved
to a retirement home a few years ago which fortunately had built in nursing
facilities when the time came for Dad to move into those. My brother has
been in greater contact than I due largely to the fact that he travels to
Florida from time to time and has been able to visit. Also, being an
attorney, he is more acquainted with the various things that need to be
done in the current situation. He is going down there tomorrow. I offered
to go down also, which he would have welcomed, but stepmother doesn't want
me to come so it appears that I will stay in Pennsylvania. A memorial
service will, I'm told, take place in the summer in Maine where the family
summer home is located and I trust that I will not be shut out from that.

​As I've said a few times today already, I feel as though I have not really
had my father in my life for a while because his poor hearing made phone
calls virtually ​impossible and after the dementia set in it was useless
anyway, but there is still an awful finality when the long expected moment
arrives.

​I did manage to get to a mass this evening​ which felt like the right
thing. Your prayers are, of course, welcome.
-- 

Christopher Hart

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