Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parents, Part 2, Mom

Dad wasn’t an affectionate man, while I know Mom craved his touch and sweet words. Dad always signed off on phone calls and letters by saying “We love you.” Mom always signed off saying “I love you.” I should have mentioned this in Part 1, Dad’s story: His father was a cruel man not above humiliating his children in front of others. He once ridiculed … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parents, Part 2, Mom

Will PenningtonOctober 23, 2022October 23, 20225 Comments

Personal Essays

Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parent, Part 1: Dad

We were three days sail out of Pearl Harbor in November 1994 when the Red Cross message clattered from the teletype: Mother of servicemember requests return home. Father in coma after heart attack. Not expected to survive. “Sixty-seven isn’t old. How can this be?” Were the USS Tripoli an aircraft carrier, they might have flown me off on the C-2 Greyhound. But the Tripoli was … Continue reading Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parent, Part 1: Dad

Will PenningtonOctober 22, 2022October 23, 202212 Comments

The Writings of William C. Pennington

A World of Stories, A Lifetime of Journeys

Tag: Losing a Parent

Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parents, Part 2, Mom

Saying Goodbye to My Dying Parent, Part 1: Dad