Late July-early August 2017
It started as a simple infection in his foot that didn’t get properly treated. On Thursday, 20 July, he was diagnosed as septic at the care center and immediately sent to the hospital. I was in Logan seeing operas with Steve. We contemplated skipping Yellowstone and Tetons altogether but my family encouraged me to go. While away, a surgeon amputated part of my dad’s foot and felt confident that he had gotten all the infection.
Caution! Contains graphic images. Proceed with caution
He was conscious and upbeat (of course!) on Saturday but as the weekend progressed his condition worsened.
His limbs were swollen and red, he had a terrible rash all over, and his organs started to fail. They put in a feeding tube and even did dialysis. We stayed by his side all week waiting for him to improve. 
On Wednesday morning, I was with him when he woke up and he was conscious and we had a conversation about his condition which he called a “tough case” and he joked a bit with me. I felt after that morning that he would definitely improve but it was not to be. I feel like that morning was just a tender mercy, allowing me to spend a few last minutes with my dad.
On Thursday, I had tickets to see Shakespeare shows with Ada and Teri so I reluctantly left my dad’s side to drive to Cedar City. During the intermission of As You Like It, I got a call from my family. I spent the second half outside pacing the streets while we discussed my dad’s situation and decided that no artificial respiration would be used and all support would be withdrawn as soon as Dave and I could get there.
I broke the news to ada that I would have to leave. I stayed for a promised late-night swim and then drove the 3 hours home sobbing all the way. Here is a recording I made on the trip.
I got there at 3am. I just missed Uncle Dave and Aunt Nikki who had been there that evening but needed to get home. 
We all gathered around his bedside. The nurse removed all the tubes and we shaved him (he always hated a scruffy beard face!) but kept the oxygen mask on until Dave and his girlfriend Angie got there on Friday at about 3. We said our goodbyes and Gary gave him the sweetest priesthood blessing of release. When the mask was removed, all the siblings and Susan gathered in a huge hug around him and let him go. It was sad and sweet and there was a really strong spirit in the room. Alex and Steve, Alicia, Whitley and Edgar, Alecia and Mike and Lori, were all there in the room and we had so many hugs and tears. Teo joined us just afterward and said his goodbye. After the mortuary people took his body we went to my place for dinner. We had several family gatherings over the next week and that was super nice. We made his recipes or his favorite foods, looked at photo albums and scrapbooks, and reminisced. And of course built a puzzle (the last one he worked on).
TaylorHaps 
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