Vagn

Vagn passed away this morning, at 4am, I think – died peacefully in his sleep aged 98. Mrs. Ottawacker called from Camlachie at 7:45 to let us know. They hadn’t managed to see him after that long drive – having decided to go straight to Mary’s place and not to the hospice. Ottawacker Jr. had got to the phone first, and he was listening to his mum when I walked into the office. He seemed pretty stoic about it all, but as we lay in bed afterwards talking about it, he got a little more upset. It passed quickly. I think it has been a bit of a slow burner; after all, his grandfather was 98, and lived a long way away. I fear we aren’t preparing him for eventual deaths at all. I imagine it will be Tui’s death that will hit him the hardest, simply because it will be the most noticeable.
 
It's pretty difficult to encapsulate a life – especially one that lasted 98 years. He moved from Denmark in the early 1950s, moving first to B.C. to work as a lumberjack, then cutting a swathe through Alberta and Ontario, until the family arrived in Binbrook, near Ontario. He worked with wood all his life, and was still cutting down trees a couple of years ago. He moved to Camlachie last year and had been in the hospice since the spring. He was a good man, and I’ll miss his presence.
 
I delivered Ottawacker Jr. to school and then leapt into the rest of the day. I had a lot of work to do, but managed to get it done pretty quickly, fitting in four loads of laundry, a run to Joseph the clothes repairer, the post office, and an hour session with my physio before 3. I’m not sure why I cannot get my act together more consistently, but it is good to know I can still do it when I need to. Mrs. Ottawacker should be home after 5, so I’ll get dinner ready for 6… ah, the folly of planning.