The passing of my Hero...

Hello folks,

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that my Father, Valentino Joseph Ruisi, had passed away yesterday morning. The world is much poorer for the loss. I have and will always love my hero & I shall miss him.
He was Born February 6, 1929 and passed this day, September 30, 2010. He had a long, and very colorful life. I couldn't have asked for a better father in this world, because without him I wouldn't be the man I am today. I shall raise a glass to him this evening in his honor.

He had been suffering with Parkinson's & dementia for some time now, and recently lost the ability to swallow which is one of the final stages of Parkenson's, especially at his age. He amazingly made it a week longer than any one thought. In the end he was Stokes breathing, and last night that had stopped and he was breathing regular, if not a little forceful. So, in the end, although this is very sad & heavy news we also give a sigh of relief that he is not suffering with this anymore in this world.
Like I said before, I shall miss my hero very much.
For a moment please allow my good manners are going to kick in here. I just want to thank all of you for bearing with me and listening as I have vented & shared. It truly means a lot to me. Here are a few images of my Pop as a young man, he sure knew how to dress back in the day. The first pic is my all time favorite of him. That was in December of 1952 in Germany.







Cheers.

Dan

I am blessed to have both my parents, so i cannot begin to comprehend your loss, my sincerest condolences to you and your family. God bless.

Saffron

Daniel Jones, please accept my condolences. Your father was a great man I'm sure, even if I have never had the chance to know him personally. May God rest and comfort his soul in paradise, and may God bless you and your family.

My deepest condolences to you and your family. He was obviously a very loved and special man.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and yours in this time of loss, as well.

Daniel Jones, I am so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you. I lost my father back in 1990. Take the things you learned from him and bring them forward. He will always be with you.

DanielJones said:

I shall raise a glass to him this evening in his honor.

Click to expand...

As will I, Dan.

My condolences on the passing of your father.

Condolences, and prayers for you and your family, Daniel.

Best wishes, Daniel.

So sorry about your Father,Dan.
I want to thank you for letting us know a little bit about him and sharing photos with us..and especially how you looked up to him and loved him. As a Father of a son that I love so much...your thoughts of your Dad has great meaning to me. I miss my Father,too...but like your Dad..he left me with great appreciation for my time with him. Yes..the good..and also..once in a while..the not so good. All part of growing up. Stay strong...your hero would want it that way.
HD

I'm sorry for your loss. I lost my father 8 years ago but I still think of him regularly especially at special occasions. He's with me all the time. As long as you have those outstanding photos, your dad will be with you all the time also.

Thank you all for your kind thoughts & remarks. Those of you who still have both or at least one of your parents, you are truly blessed. Pray for their continued good health. Never miss an opportunity to tell them that you love them on a regular basis. I don't think I did that enough with my mother before she passed five years ago to cancer. It is something i regret.
Also, be sure to get their stories & history. You will find out new & interesting things about their past that makes them who they are today. I used to hang on my Dad's every word when he told me of his past, most of it related to photographs he had. He was an avid photographer that wanted to work for National Geographic after all. I heard his stories enough times and there were plenty of them that I feel like his memories are mine as I have mental images to the stories. I feel as though I experienced them right along side of him.
With my Mom I only got to hear the highlights of her past. I have some good details but not as many as my Dad. She wasn't that fond of her past and I think there were plenty of painful moments that she just didn't want to share.

I think over the next year, I am going to get a journal and write down my Dad & Mom's stories there. Add photos where necessary for visual reference. My sister actually has plenty of info on our Mom so this will be a good thing for her to do as well. I think it'll be rather cathartic. I suppose that if I ever got the money to do it I could also have the memories published so they aren't completely lost to time. Right now I am scanning the treasure trove of photographs, slides & negatives that my Dad had. I had a bit of a breakdown last night when I saw one of their wedding photos. It was just the way My Mom was looking at my Dad as he was talking to someone else. Admiration is the word that comes to mind. That one picture hit me like a ton of bricks.


Again, I want to thank you all for your kind words and for letting me vent a little. Be sure to tell your parents often how much they mean to you, and that you love them. Because they are gone far too soon.

Cheers.

Dan

I'm sorry for your loss. I wish there were something to say to make you feel better.

My deepest condolences as well, take care.
Thanks for sharing the pixs, just like "Mad Men" lol

I send along my deepest condolences for your loss. Hold on to the good times, the happiest memories, and nothing shall ever be lost.

DanielJones, I empathize with you. My father was my hero as well, and I'll always try to live up to him. Your desire to share this profound loss with the rest of us is really something. Nothing can console, but he lives on in you. As time passes, this will become an unexpected comfort and enduring joy. Grief is good, and appropriate.

Dan,

My dad also died thursday Sept 30 so, I will join you in your sorrow

My dad also had moderate dementia and succombed to kidney failure. He went to the ER on 9/22 and we were notified that because he had these "co-morbidities" such as type II diabetes, hypertension along w/ dementia his prognosis was poor. We moved him back to die in his home and along w/ hospice, we cared/loved/bathed him for an astounding 5 days.

He was born March 1, 1930 and served during korea by proudly playing in the army band. I will post a few pictures of daddy very soon.

His name was Alberto Rosendo Magdaleno and played saxaphone (both tenor and alto), clarinet, flute, piano. although born in Arizona he lived in Santa Barbara, CA for over 60 yrs.

PLEASE, feel free to pm me, I am very, very lonely and would benefit from sharing with someone who is in the same area. I am planning my dads simple funeral service for next thursday.

may the angels surround Valentino and Alberto~

DanielJones said:

It was just the way My Mom was looking at my Dad as he was talking to someone else. Admiration is the word that comes to mind. That one picture hit me like a ton of bricks.

Click to expand...

Yeah, that pic speaks volumes.

My condolences for your loss. Thank you for also sharing the wonderful photos as well.