Rest In Peace, Ernest Wood

I returned home from Leamington Spa on Tuesday to be told that my Grandad had died at the age of 88. As I mentioned in Blog 13, he had been ill in hospital since the end of last year and had showed few signs of recovery. I found the Brighton hospital visit I discussed in that post difficult to deal with. I'm grateful for the fact that I was able to see and talk to him again when he was in a more coherent state after he had been moved to a hospital in his hometown of Haywards Heath in Sussex. This was indicative of his general condition, drifting in and out of periods of lucidity.

Visits to Haywards Heath have been a huge part of family life for as long as I can remember. My grandad always took a considerable interest in what my sister and I were up to, taking delight in our academic successes and keen to know our opinions on all sorts of subjects. He was also incredibly generous in terms of providing financial support to us over the years. A well known and well liked figure in the local community, he will be deeply missed.

My parents have been brilliant during this difficult time, at least one of them going to visit him every other day. This was in spite of the fact they very often had very little to report other than that there was no change in his condition. Since receiving the news, they've been working hugely hard to sort out my Grandad's affairs and funeral arrangements. I'm not sure my Mum in particular has had the time to grieve the loss of her father. They are both incredible people and I'm proud to be their son. It's times like this that make me realise how lucky I am to be part of such a loving family. This loss leaves a great hole in our lives but at the same time, I'm thankful that he was able to live a long and happy life on his own terms.

RIP Grandad.

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