Not to be a downer, but losing a lot of friends lately

Kind of a downer topic, but the Omicron thread got me thinking. Man, it has been a rough year or so as far as losing friends. Maybe it comes with approaching my 60s, but dang. I lost 3 from a group I belong to early on due to Covid, and another this past weekend. All those that passed from Covid had the deck chairs stacked against them with other conditions, but I also lost 2 childhood friends due to heart attacks, one to diabetes, and another to cancer.

I am sure as we get older our friends start to pass more frequently, but I had only lost a couple over many years and then BAM, they started dropping regularly when we all started to hit our late 50s. Growing older is not for the timid I guess.

Hang in there sir

I had two services last Thursday. Once cancer, the other Alzheimer's.

Sucks.

Several years ago my class reunion from class of 1974 was an eye opener. A lot of them are gone. I knew them and know why most of them are gone.

It will motivate you to take better care of yourself if you haven't already been doing so.

I'm 71 now, and my friends mostly vary from 65-80. We are long in the tooth and slowly dropping off everyone's radar. Since the Holidays, it's been pretty good, but I lost 6 friends in 4 weeks in November. That will be a month to remember!

Yep.

I know of people I was acquainted with that have passed but none close. Ex co worker from covid related cause and a step brother from unknown causes. Coworker and I had runins in past but thats life and his passing is sad for family, the step brother....well I figured it was over due since he drank himself to poor health and was burden on people...bailing on rehabs, being a bum, disappearing at random, you know the worthless pos scenario for a drunk. I feel for the step mom but now is time to heal.

Sorry for your loss's!

Lost three really good people in the last two weeks, getting old isn't for the faint of heart.

Lost my BIL in law last week and one of my old friends died a few days ago. My old friend had retired from the PD and went to work for the DPS. Died just a year or so after retiring. My BIL died 4 years after retiring. That's not how it's supposed to work.

Only lost three in the last ten years.

Lost one of my 2 remaining cousins last week.

It gets worse as we get older. Pop died in his 90's and told me not long before he passed that all his friends had died and I had to let that one soak in.

We went to Christmas service this year with my wife’s stepdad’s mother (step-grandma I guess?). She’s in her mid-late 90s. I think there were 13 or 14 of us all together, only about 1/2 were blood related.

Her preacher came by afterward in the foyer and commented that it’s wonderful she can spend the holidays with family, and she replied, “why thank you, all the others are dead!” LOL you should’ve seen the look on his face.

Unfortunately, I see friends in the obits almost daily. We have a Facebook page of all the older retirees from my previous work that we knew, and so many are gone now. So far, I'm not one of them, but you never know how much time the good lord gives you. Enjoy life, try not to have regrets, love one another, and hug your wife and kids every day!! Also, life is too short to drink cheap whiskey, listen to bad music, or not hunt and fish all you want.

Had a small class of 45 I think. Lost 4 this past year I am aware of, 3 had cancer and 1 had a stroke. Life is fragile.

I don't have any I got some family but no friends to worry about and nobody to tell when I die.

that's what we're here for....

Prayers for strength...

I knew 4 people that passed in 3 days last month. My aunt, a friends father, my wife's aunt, and a young lady from work. From Saturday to Sunday all were gone like a bad wind blew through. Some it put an end to the suffering and one was completely unexpected.

Last week, my buddy KDub lost his wife after a 9 year battle with MS. They were HS sweethearts and brought forth two wonderful daughters. The last five years, she has pretty much been confined to a wheel chair and did not have the ability to take care of herself. That's what he did - took care of her and nothing else save for working like a dog. Their faith never waivered. I still don't know how he managed to do it all.

His strength, determination and positive outlook have been admirable. He has shown me and many others what it truly means to be a husband - a true partner in life. Honoring his vows to take care of her during sickness and health was noted by the revered Pastor and he broke up a little - something I had never witnessed during a service. Quite possibly the toughest funeralizing I have ever witnessed.

Last of my Dads siblings, the youngest brother, passed last week. Dad and his sister passed 15-18 years ago, then the other 3 brothers lived to be 90+. My only only regrets were never getting much info about their parents. They were killed in an auto accident in ‘56.

It happens to all of us. I'll be 49 this year, and although I have not lost many friends, most of the ones that I have lost have been in the last few years. If I don't lose anymore, then that's probably bad news for me. I don't want to lose any more...but then again, I don't want them to bury me either.

This thread makes me think of this...

The other day I was looking at my social media list. Depressing to see how many people are no longer with us. My phone contact list is worse.

MAN...that hits hard...my condolences if you happen to run across this post kdub, for you and the girls. He's one of the good guys/men of this forum and I knew his wife was diagnosed but didn't realize it had gotten that bad.

I've now buried over 120 people since I was 4. I'll be 47 next week. Most were family, some were people I went to church with for 10 years, some classmates, co-workers, family friends, etc. Fortunately, and unfortunately, my mom's family REALLY believes in being fruitful and multiplying...and they also believe in keeping in touch with the extended family. When my uncle was alive, it was not uncommon for us to have 100 people at his house for Thanksgiving, July 4, Christmas, Memorial Day, etc. We had over 200 at one of the family reunions...and that was just my maternal grandfather's side of the family.

I still remember attending my first funeral (my mom's aunt) when I was 4. I think kids should see these things, although not that young, so they can understand that life is short. I am very blessed my best friend survived his auto accident last year. He died 3 times on the table, but they were able to revive him each time. I lost 14 people and 1 dog in 12 months from March 2020 to March 2021; 12 to Covid, 2 to other causes. If I had lost him, I don't think I would have been able to pull myself out of it. I am probably the best person at compartmentalizing things, but when news of his accident came, I couldn't do it. I couldn't focus on work, or anything, for 6 days until I finally heard from him letting me know he was still alive and doing well, all things considered.

I wish I could say it gets easier. It doesn't. You just learn to live with the loss and go on until you see them again. I have to believe there is an afterlife and that I will see these people that impacted my life and left a trace of themselves with me.

God bless and stay well.

You should feel blessed to know 120 people well enough to bury them. If everyone died that I felt close enough to go to their funeral in my 47 years it wouldn’t add up to 1/4 of that.

I am, but it hurts. I was the youngest in my family for the first 6 years of my life. I hold the record for being the youngest in the family for the longest length of time. My oldest cousins were 85 and 83 when they died in 2020. My youngest cousin was born in December 2021. The youngest cousins are 1st cousins once removed (the children of my first cousins). The cousin that took my title as being the youngest had her last child in late 2020 and is now trying again (she has 4), but wants twins this time...I try to tell them it is not their job to keep replenishing the population.

https://www.studyfinds.org/walking-faster-live-longer/

Keep on hurrying!

Lost a good friend, former room mate, and Navy shipmate this week. Not feeling well, on Monday, went into hospital and died Wed of pneumonia. Wow

The wife of 54 years last year came down with a too tough to break cough last year at 75 almost 76. She was raised in a semi wealthy family that did not believe in Dr's until you'd already bled all over everything....I had to shame her into going to the Doc "just for a checkup" and got the pneumonia diagnosis. With my extensive med history & expansive accident records I had to learn staying safe the hard way, and always sent the Dr's that are on call list in my phone a call & personal XMas card's to his staff that had worked on me that year.

Meanwhile of the 7-8+long time hunting lease partners I am the sole survivor & turn 78 in September. Everybody else is already gone or living on an air tank etc...but then that one is 82+ or better and smoked a carton a day some days and was legally married I know of at least 5 times with lots of "part time in betweener's" who accepted being sprinkled with French "Holy Water", and tough enough back when he was guiding in Colorado to sleep in a snow bank.

Got another round of 3 doc's working on me at the same time to fix this last round of Shingles & leftover damage to a large handfull of nerve trunks...starting next week.
Happy Trails Until We Meet Again Ya'll
Ron

When you're well, do you think you can get the shingles vaccine? (Yes, I said "vaccine". ) 'Just hope you get some kinda relief.

My wife of only 30 years wouldn't listen to me about 8 months ago. She's always had asthma. I have no medical background, but I can hear, pretty dang well, and I know what her lungs sound like. This was different and I told her so. You can't argue with an RN about her personal health. Now we have to live with Bronchiectasis to the end of our road together. I'm very blessed to have her and thank God for her everyday...but sometimes.

Dalroo, My wife and I were talking about this just yesterday. It seems I am going to funerals often these days. I learned yesterday the owner of my hunting lease property had died. He was elderly and got us to thinking how many people close to us are either elderly or have chronic health problems. We have been fortunate to not lost anyone close to us because of Covid, but just figuring on normal life expectancies, we will be losing a lot of family and friends in coming years.

I don't have anyone close that has died from any variant but I do realize I have several funerals coming up in the next decade. I have to look on the bright side and realize it's because lots of family got to live a long time. To each his own.

Godspeed.

Just went down my friends list on Facebook and removed 27 names of friends who have passed. Kinda Suck's!

Geez, HWY MAN, don’t put me on your friends list.

Tonight found me on a genealogy site that had an in-memorandum section by graduation year for the high school I went too. I went through the years I attended and it was freakin depressing. Several good friends from that time (and some enemies) were listed having died sometime from then to now. Some died in rather tragic ways while still young. Murdered, Murder suicide, boat accidents, etc. and having happened pre internet I never knew about them before. Newer obituaries though usually don't list cause of death anymore, but one did show to have died from covid last year. I found myself clicking names thinking to myself. "no, no not him", "awe man not her". over and over. I wish I had never found that website.

It’s sad times we’re living in, our daughters best friend just died from a heart attack at 26 years tonight just 2 weeks after taking the jab for a job she wanted in an OR. Tomorrow’s not guaranteed so live every day as though it’s your last….

Have a friend that calls it the "Funeral of the Month Club".

JR

Came in from shredding this morning and the wife told me that two friends died last night. One of them was considerably younger than us. Heart attacks on both of them. Man, I hate funerals.