So sorry Di. 

@DiPros   Just read about your sister.  I'm so sorry for you Di.

I wasn't sure where to post this, but I'm thinking this thread may be the right spot.

My grandmother had a major stroke overnight on Sunday. When my aunt went to wake her late Monday morning so she could take her meds she wasn't able to talk or move her right side. The ambulance came pretty quickly to take her and I spent early Monday afternoon with my grandfather before taking him to the hospital later that day. 

The stroke hit the major part of her brain and at 93 there wasn't anything they could do for her. She was moved to palliative care on Wednesday afternoon and at around 4.30pm today she passed. I had been asleep in the rollaway bed next to her for a few hours, I woke up and went for a walk with my mum just to get some air and my aunt called telling us to come straight back as she had stopped breathing. It's weird how things happen sometimes

This was my first Christmas, this year is going to be a different one without her

Sorry for your loss.

Sorry for your loss @Mat   Holidays are hard. Try and remember the joy of all those memories. Hopeful it will bring you some peace.  
 

I started to go down a really dark road beginning of October with it being breast cancer awareness month. Then after some hard fought reflection to keep going, in remembering our conversations I came to the revelation that my sister saved my life.  She had urged me to go get checked out and at the time I didn’t even have a primary doctor. That is the thought I keep and it gives me gratitude to have had her so close to me.  I miss her dearly, yet doing mostly Ok.  
 

Sending my blessings to all of you that have suffered loss. 

Lost a lifelong friend yesterday. What in the heck.  Woke up to a text from her daughter who said she was in the ICU.  Blood infection (likely e coli) killed her.   I didn't go see her; I wasn't ready for that again so soon after my sister.  Another good friend was there and called me after and said I didn't need to go. Spoke to another good friend last night and she was there and just about inconsolable.

She was like a sister.  She lost her husband in 2021 to Covid. We had a lot in common that way and we had many long nights on the phone talking and missing our spouses. Had dinner with her at least once a month.  She leaves behind a 30-year-old daughter.  That's so young to be left with no parents. I think I'm not ready to start burying my friends.  I know right where she'll be buried.  We actually ran into each other once at the cemetery-how crazy is that?

This picture was taken 5 yrs ago yesterday. From left to right, my sister, gone. Jack, gone. Marie in the middle is who passed yesterday. My brother and my friend Suzie still here. Suzie was having a hard time last night when we spoke, or should I say cried mostly.  It's unbelievable.

 

Oct 2019. Our 35th wedding anniversary coincided with a game.   My bridesmaids.  

I'm sorry for your loss. Losing someone is never easy, losing multiple is just unfair. I hope you're doing okay 

On 4/20/2020 at 10:44 PM, Captain F said:

Thought it would be good to have a place to pay respect to those friends and family,  fellow posters, and all Eagles fans lost. RIP to each of you. 

 

 

 

Been around 20 years since I used to post habitually as an obnoxious 20 year old. Now as a slightly less obnoxious,  and more thoughtful man of 41, this hits real hard. Alot of funny and happy memories on this list. 

Yeah, well here I am again.  Death everywhere.  I am old so its expected, but it never gets easier.  2 more gone in 2 days.  An old friend Kenny may hold the record for chemo treatments for stage 4  esophagus cancer.  He's the Santa guy at our 2018 SB win before he was diagnosed.  Yesterday Mr. Di's cousins husband also succumb to cancer  He was such a great guy  F

 

Sorry to use this thread again.  I had the recurring "lost” dream again last night.   I parked my 1st car and went for a walk. Never found my car but people in a warehouse on my walk tried to help but I never made it back to my car.  I’m so screwed!  It really f”up my day.  I’d really like to catch up with my sister but I can’t call  her!!  Not being angry just wish one day I don’t wake up. I’m done. My kids know what to do. 

On 3/30/2025 at 8:42 PM, DiPros said:

Sorry to use this thread again.  I had the recurring "lost” dream again last night.   I parked my 1st car and went for a walk. Never found my car but people in a warehouse on my walk tried to help but I never made it back to my car.  I’m so screwed!  It really f”up my day.  I’d really like to catch up with my sister but I can’t call  her!!  Not being angry just wish one day I don’t wake up. I’m done. My kids know what to do

Sorry to hear about your losses and hope your headspace has gotten better since you posted this. I've been catching up on this thread and see you've posted a lot over the last several years, for all the tough reasons this thread entails.

I can't fully relate to seeing as many close to me pass as you have recently, but if you aren't active in a church, I'd suggest seeing what's available in your area and what kind of support groups they offer. After spending most of my adult life avoiding church on Sundays, my wife and I found a really good one with a huge congregation, stadium style seats, and the opening worship music is like going to a concert. Prior to going there, my only exposure to church had been a Methodist church with a tiny congregation, hymns, and I had difficulty connecting to the message. My new church offers all different sorts of support groups ranging from drug addiction to groups for those dealing with loss.

On 4/14/2025 at 2:42 PM, Kz! said:

Sorry to hear about your losses and hope your headspace has gotten better since you posted this. I've been catching up on this thread and see you've posted a lot over the last several years, for all the tough reasons this thread entails.

I can't fully relate to seeing as many close to me pass as you have recently, but if you aren't active in a church, I'd suggest seeing what's available in your area and what kind of support groups they offer. After spending most of my adult life avoiding church on Sundays, my wife and I found a really good one with a huge congregation, stadium style seats, and the opening worship music is like going to a concert. Prior to going there, my only exposure to church had been a Methodist church with a tiny congregation, hymns, and I had difficulty connecting to the message. My new church offers all different sorts of support groups ranging from drug addiction to groups for those dealing with loss.

Thank you, Kz.

I'm heading to the cemetery in a few. Met my Aunt for lunch today and she gave me something to put on her parents (my grandparents) grave. She is 86 and she's it. When she goes that will be the end of that generation. I'm glad I could help her out though, as I am fine taking care of my family's graves. Really miss talking to my sister lately but I'm mostly doing OK.

As far as Church, I'm done. I gave myself a dispensation. Almost 60 years of practicing. Now I just go to Funeral Masses, and I don't support them financially anymore. I did for a very long time, and I am a founding member of my Parish. My hole in the ground is paid for so I'm not worried if I just stay there or I get to someplace else when I'm gone. Nice that you and your wife found a nice spot to go.

A parent should never have to bury their child. The last photo we have of our daughter is from Christmas Day 2023 at our son's house, sitting with the tertiary dog. A month and a half later she suffered an epileptic seizure and died in her sleep. The medical term is SUDEP. Holidays without her are still brutal.

man was glad to see your name until i saw it was attached to this thread. our prayers/our condolences .

@Mlodj so sorry. Great photo. While I try to hold onto photos, voicemails, memories it's just not the same. You want her here. So somehow, someway you have to just carry this grief around with you and still live your life. Like it's a new lifestyle. Right? I still have bad days and want to just burn it all down.

May 24th will be 5 years since Mr. Di passed-my 1st real loss after my parents in 2014, and 2015. So, it falls on the holiday weekend this year and I will likely be down at the cottage. I still 2nd guess my decision to finish what he started. We went down last weekend to open up, and it went surprisingly well. No shower (froze) but have water on in sinks and toilet. No active birds' nest since our soffits are not done, however, there was evidence of bird(s) being inside. Not nearly as bad as last year. It may never be completely "finished" while I am still alive, but I actually enjoy taking time away from here and working on things that I can do down there.

Hope you have something as well to honor the legacy of your sweet daughter.

On 5/16/2025 at 2:18 PM, DiPros said:

@Mlodj so sorry. Great photo. While I try to hold onto photos, voicemails, memories it's just not the same. You want her here. So somehow, someway you have to just carry this grief around with you and still live your life. Like it's a new lifestyle. Right? I still have bad days and want to just burn it all down.

May 24th will be 5 years since Mr. Di passed-my 1st real loss after my parents in 2014, and 2015. So, it falls on the holiday weekend this year and I will likely be down at the cottage. I still 2nd guess my decision to finish what he started. We went down last weekend to open up, and it went surprisingly well. No shower (froze) but have water on in sinks and toilet. No active birds' nest since our soffits are not done, however, there was evidence of bird(s) being inside. Not nearly as bad as last year. It may never be completely "finished" while I am still alive, but I actually enjoy taking time away from here and working on things that I can do down there.

Hope you have something as well to honor the legacy of your sweet daughter.

Di,

Thank you for the kind words. In the first five months of 2024 our daughter died, the wife was diagnosed with cancer, and we had to put down our two oldest dogs. It felt like something out of the story of Job, but somehow, some way you muddle through. We have a couple of apple trees we planted for her birthday several years ago; she was big on gardening. They are starting to bear fruit now.

On 5/12/2025 at 5:19 PM, Mlodj said:

A parent should never have to bury their child. The last photo we have of our daughter is from Christmas Day 2023 at our son's house, sitting with the tertiary dog. A month and a half later she suffered an epileptic seizure and died in her sleep. The medical term is SUDEP. Holidays without her are still brutal.

Sad news. Sorry for your loss.

Its been a while since I've been on EMB, but Mama was one of my Fav's

A year ago today I lost my beloved sister. Kept her eulogy that my nieces wrote and spoke. She was a special gal. I miss her!

Good Morning, Thank you all for being here today to celebrate our mom’s life. We have felt such an outpouring of love and support over the past week, and we know that is just a testament to the kind of person our mom was. Now, I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say Julia and I had the absolute best mom ever. She could handle anything; from meltdowns over Christmas outfits, to Julia and I begging to quit yet another sport, to continued requests for her to proofread texts and emails, mom was always our first call. We could come to her with anything (at any hour!) and she would give such good advice. We would sometimes marvel with our dad at how she was able to be so on it! (And when she gave a particularly good piece of advice, mom would go "damn, I’m good!”) But one of the things we appreciated most about mom is that she would always tell us how much she loved us, not just as her kids, but as people. She would say we were such interesting and smart people in our own right. We felt the same way about her, and even now we continue to learn more about her and love her more every day. In addition to being the best mom ever, she was a loving wife and partner to our dad for 33 years. And they were partners in everything: raising two girls, creating a beautiful home, and, maybe most importantly, watching countless Philly sports games. Their love and devotion to each other was evident everyday; our mom would say our dad was the best thing that ever happened to her, and while we don’t want to speak for him, we think he feels the same. Nothing better encapsulates their partnership than our home, which they bought one year after being married, and lived in for 32 years. Two days ago while preparing the photos for my mom’s viewing, we found a folder on her computer titled "504” — our street address. The folder was full of hundreds of photos of our home; not the house itself, but of each and every detail she found interesting. We were floored by the beauty she could find in things as simple as a glass of water on the counter, or a meticulously placed tchotchke on the shelf. But that was our mom. She could always find something extraordinary in the mundane, could always find a ray of light where you least expected, whether it was enjoying bird watching in the backyard, savoring her cup of tea in the morning, or grabbing her camera whenever she saw a vibrant sunset from our front porch. We loved viewing our home through our mom’s eyes. It was her happy place. She chose each and every piece that went in it with love and care. Mom approached everything in life that same way: from new crafts and hobbies, to relationships with friends and family, to having an open mind to things she at first may not have understood. Mom had an endless capacity for learning and growth, and she approached every new topic with a nonjudgmental curiosity. Not to say she didn’t judge — one of our favorite hobbies was sending each other links to scarily-decorated Zillow listings. But she always led with a level of kindness and compassion that never failed to amaze us. She could always put herself in someone else’s shoes, and was our go-to advice-giver for that very reason. That, and how ridiculously smart she was. Our mom would often remark that she was a "fountain of useless knowledge”, but when she was giving us a detailed treatment plan for a stomach ache or migraine, it definitely didn’t feel that way! When we’d ask her how she knew so much about a specific type of bird, a niche historical event, Victorian architecture, what have you… she’d respond with a simple: "I read.” Not only was she one of the smartest people you’d ever meet, but our mom was unfailingly kind and loyal. Nothing spoke to that more than her family bonds. She cherished her relationships with each of her siblings—Steve, Diane and Andrew— her cousins, her nieces and nephews, her in-laws, and her parents when they were with us. As a kid, she loved to spend summers swimming with her sibs and cousins at the mushroom house, even though her dad kept the water too cold! When she was a bit older, she enjoyed weekends driving (and honing her shopping skills!) with her mom, aunt Nancy, and cousin Judy. And just last month, she was determined to make it from a doctor's appointment in Philly to her niece Lauren’s wedding. From pizza nights with the DiProsps to phone calls with her sister, family meant the world to Ellen. She tore up the dance floor at every wedding, dominated every DiSanti family game night, and brought her infectious laugh and signature warmth and compassion to every interaction. She also found family throughout her life in her close friendships. Her girl’s beach trips with Dee, Donna and Lisa were famous in our house and combined two of her favorite things: her girls and the Jersey shore! And our mom’s adventures, planned and spontaneous, with Sharon, from Longwood when we were babies to lavender fields 20 years later, were some of her favorite moments. Mom would always say she felt so lucky to have lifelong friends that she loved and would do anything for, and who would do the same for her. Now, sorry to dad, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the other great love of my mom’s life: Bruce Springsteen. It was love at first listen and the love only grew over the many, many listens after that. Our Aunt Diane taking her little sister, Ellen, to her first ever Bruce concert was a moment our mom said she would never forget. One of our mom’s biggest wishes was for all of us to go to a Bruce concert together, and we had tickets to go on August 23. And while we weren’t able to make it to Citizens Bank that night, we brought a little bit of Bruce to the hospital instead. And when we asked if she wanted a break from Bruce to listen to some Tom Petty, she wouldn’t even consider it. Our mom’s favorite album was Born to Run and her favorite song was Thunder Road. When reading through the lyrics, these struck us: Hey what else can we do now? / Except roll down the window / And let the wind blow back your hair We can picture her now, at peace, leisurely driving in a red convertible on her way to the beach, getting ready to see everyone up there who’s been waiting for her. Enjoy the ride, mom, and make sure to take the scenic route. We love you.