“Just ’cause I’m leavin’
It don’t mean that I won’t be right by your side
When you need me
And you can’t see me in the middle of the night
Just close your eyes and say a prayer
It’s okay, boy, I ain’t scared
I won’t be here, but I’ll always be right there
Even though I’m leavin’, I ain’t goin’ nowhere
I ain’t goin’ nowhere……”
Songwriters: Luke Combs / Ray Fulcher / Wyatt Durrette
We have had a rough time of it lately.
The first week in September my husband got a call from his mother (hysterical and crying) saying that he needed to come right away because his Dad had taken a turn – upon his arrival at their house he ended up having to call 911 and they rushed him to the hospital. He stayed there three days and they decided to move him to the nearby Hospice where he lingered in a coma like state for almost three weeks…..
On the evening of September 13th my sister told me that she thought I should fly home as soon as possible. My Dad was not doing well and while nothing had happened per se, she had a gut feeling that something had changed with him. I immediately booked a flight out for Sunday and made arrangements to leave my family – for the first time ever not able to let them know when I would be back.
When I arrived Sunday evening my Dad was still talking (if not much) and cracking a few jokes but he was much changed since we had video chatted the previous week. Over the next few days he was less and less responsive and by Thursday night my sister and I were so scared we called the Hospice emergency night nurse. I will spare you the details of watching a loved one slowly die at home as I do not even have the words to express how it felt to watch my strong Daddy go through that.
Around Midnight I called my husband to tell him I thought my Dad might not make it until morning and thirty minutes later he called me back to tell me that his Dad had passed away in North Carolina.
In Maine, the Hospice nurse arrived at 5am and my Dad passed at 6am Friday morning with my sister and I by his side.
I have never had a longer night in my life.
Lincoln – In the early morning of Friday, September 20th 2019, Donald A. Dill, peacefully passed away at the age of 64 with his daughters beside him. Donald was born March 24th, 1955, in Gardiner, the son of Richard and Ethel Dill.
Donald was the epitome of living life to the fullest. Everything he did was with passion and heart. He was known by all for his generosity, sense of humor and his absolute love for his family. Donald embraced the “que sera sera” outlook in life and always lived on his own terms. Even through his brief diagnosis, he embraced life and made every moment count. Donald had a love for traveling, good food, the outdoors and special moments with his children and grandchildren. He will be remembered for many things but most of all for being a devoted husband to Lisa for 31 years. He was a dad that built playhouses, snow forts, went swimming, sledding, always dressed up for Halloween as well as many other adventures and a grandpa who cherished his relationship with his first grandchild Abby, bus excursions to Krispy Kreme with Cammie, playing race cars on the floor with Mason and always being there to pick up Katie from the school bus.
Donald was preceded in death by his parents, Richard and Ethel and his beloved wife, Lisa. He is survived by his two daughters, Robyn and Melissa; sons-in-law Josh and Mike; his 4 grandchildren Abby, Cammie, Mason and Katie; his siblings Darrell, Dennis, Dana, Daniel, Delmont, Dianne, Duane, Darlene, Dale, Dalton and Delores; many nieces, nephews, cousins, brother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and many other family members and friends.
The next few days were a blur of planning for his funeral and trying not to lose my mind while separated by 20 hours from my husband and kids.
My sister and I have never felt so much like children trying to make adult decisions. There are so many things to be decided when someone passes away.
My husband was able to fly to Maine for the service and we flew home to North Carolina the following day.
My father-in laws service was held this past Tuesday.
I am still in shock and just trying to survive the coming days.
I am devastated and I must continue to function in my life.
I went back to work this week, I have carried kids back and forth to sports, I am trying to make plans to do something fun with them this weekend and I start a new semester in college on Monday……….
Life moves forward whether you want it to or not. Inside I am empty and tired and I spend a lot of time crying in my car.
North Carolina Adventures 