The Late Grandad
This is very hard to write. I know it’s his style to be funny but all I can find is sadness.
Grandad died this morning (he never liked euphemisms) after a week in the hospice. He declined gracefully and great efforts were made to ensure he wasn’t suffering in any way. He got visits from dogs, and had a few days sitting outside in unseasonably warm weather listening to birdsong before he became too weak to move around. There was no drama, he just doffed his proverbial cap and slipped away while I slept beside him on the couch bed.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen to this site, I’d love to preserve it, and to know if he’s still hosting sites for others knowing him as the kind fella he was. Perhaps you could let me know by way of a comment what I can do, given that I only have a fraction of his internet knowledge. I feel very lost without him. I miss him tapping his feet to his folksy music and making me listen all the way through. I miss the way he kept banging on at length about esoteric things, and telling me about nice things that people do.
Thank you to all of the readers who’ve followed dad on this site and in real life, you gave him wonderful motivation and a powerful meaning to his life.
I hope that as I lay there this morning, drooling on my pillow as he left, that some of his soul spilled out into mine so I can keep him a little bit longer.
Love from
Daughter
I am so sorry to hear this. I’m glad he had a peaceful end and that you were there with him. I so admired the grace with which he chronicled his terrible disease and there was no change of personality from his earlier posts. He must have been a wonderful person to know and I will greatly miss his posts.
My sincere condolences.
An honorable ending to an honorable life. I am filled with pleasure that I was able to share a small part of it.
My sincere thanks daughter that you summed his ending up so well.
A life lived to the max.
Just raised a glass of single malt,thanks for all the help, when I started out
I’m so sorry.
Fly high, my friend.
Now grandad is giving a raft of shite to the higher-ups, which he always liked to do to any and all, heaven and earth. As a second generation Irishman I was so happy that I found Grandad when I did and look fondly to his missives. He will be greatly missed by many. If at all possible keep the site going with your observations and likes, dislikes and concerns….I feel that would be something your Dad would love and will always nudge you along. God Bless Grandad and prayers and condolences to you and your whole family.
A friend in the States,
John
R.I.P. Grandad. I’m sure you’re sitting in a celestial coffee shop enjoying your pipe with Penny snoozing at your feet. I’ll miss you. Heartfelt condolences to you and your family from a loyal follower in Canada. If possible, it would be nice if this site could preserved.
Heartfelt condolences. I always read his blog, commenting occasionally. He helped me with a Linux problem, was generous with his advice.
My greatest sympathy, He was a good man and I’ll miss his views on everything.
All the best to you and the family,
Ian J
Very sad news. My sincere condolences to you and all Grandads family and friends. May he rest in peace.
So sad. I will miss him. I really feel for you and all your family. I’m his age and a grandpa too of eight. My wife died two years ago and we were all devastated even though it was expected. I know exactly how you all feel. Blessings Chris
Gone but not forgotten.
Sleep well.
K8
Your strength of character,revealed to us by your dads intwerweb rambles, comes through shing brightly, just like your dad.
Please convey my condolences to herself.
Bill
Very sorry to hear this. Condolences to family and friends.
I’ll write to Longrider about it … I don’t have access to this site but the three of us were the Martin Scriblerati starters. Of course all sorts of thoughts … he’s at rest, now his lady and daughter are the consideration.
A great loss, certainly to the family but also to the huge ‘family’ he had created here.
Not only a thoroughly good bloke, but also a keen observer of the nonsense we all have to deal with in daily life, his sharing of which let us all know that we were not alone (or unbalanced).
As his valued and cherished daughter, you have much of which to be proud, a pride which I am sure will remain with you every day.
If you do manage to continue this site, I for one will be there to enjoy your own, perhaps different, slant on life’s manifold nuances and imperfections.
Sympathy and condolences doesn’t cover it, but you and ‘herself’ have them from me and mine.
I loved reading about his life and thoughts, identifying with some of them, and laughing at others. Throughout his later days, there was still the same outlook. He’ll be sadly missed.
My sincere sympathy, I only just found his thoughts written here this last year, but greatly enjoyed his take on life.
RIP old fella
Just opened my laptop to read this unwelcome news.
I’ve been here most days since Grandad developed the Anna Raccoon archive, and in many ways felt we were separated at birth, despite my having no trace of Irish blood.
I can’t say anything not said above, except that you were a good daughter to both your parents: carry on being this to herself,
and please try to continue Grandad’s legacy.
Rest in peace Grandad. You have been my daily source of light relief for fifteen years. You will at least be with Penny again. Bon courage to the daughter and missus.
Oh, the news we’d all been expecting, but hoping not to hear. My condolences.
Your father made my life better. His humour. His cheerfulness in the face of one misfortune after another, evidence by his care for Penny in her failing days as well as for your mother. His use of Irish dialect words which I had not heard in a long time (a hate o’ something.) So many virtues.
Now you and your mother are in my honest prayers. God’s blessing be on you.
I think there must have been a bit of dust in my eyes this morning. As I said in the previous post, I hope he has found his paradise. He brought joy to us all.
So sorry, the strength and humour he showed won’t be forgotten.
Thank you for posting. Such a sad loss. You’ve been a wonderful daughter. Take good care of yourself and your family.
My condolences to you and his family . He brought joy to his readers . His death must leave a huge gap in your lives.
RIP Grandad and most heartfelt condolences to you, your family and friends that knew him. He will be missed.
I don’t think you have to worry about carrying his legacy or capturing some of his spirit, the “Drooling on my pillow” comment shows there’s a similar spark of humour in you, even in these most adverse of moments.
Take him with you in your heart wherever you go.
My condolences to you and family. He will be sorely missed. The finest blogger I have ever had the pleasure to read for many years. RIP Grandad.
So sad. One hoped against the odds that he would pull through, as we are wont to do. Well done ‘Daughter’ for your love and support for the old fella. Will miss him dearly. Philip from Co Mayo.
Our thoughts are with you. He was a real character, and his thoughts, plainly spoken, will be missed. If that is true for us, his regular readers, then it must be so a million times for you all. My deepest sympathy.
I’m sure you know my feelings which are too hard for me to put into words. I hope you can preserve this site as a memorial to your father. I intend to re-read his posts from the beginning. I’m not too sure how he was hosting this site and others but there should be someone who does.
Perhaps, when you’re ready, you could write a few posts on this site? Telling stories about your father we haven’t heard?
I’ll miss him to be sure. He was a good if long-distance friend for many years.
R.I.P Grandad. I am so sad at this news. Thank you very much for everything you did for me. Thank you Daughter for sharing this news at such a sad time, with his many friends. Very best wishes to you, Herself, and all your family.
Tim Goodacre,
RIP Grandad and thanks Daughter for letting us all know your terribly sad news. It was my greatest privilege to have shared a coffee with him, and with Penny, one afternoon in the village when we lived on the other side of the mountain to you. He had set up and hosted, who knows how??, the website smokingoutthetruth.com to cover some of my work, a great honour for me from someone who had given me so many laughs over the years. My deepest condolences and all very best wishes to you all at such a difficult time.
The leaving of the man who actually bothered to write to me personally, when I wanted him to get better a few months ago, has now left a great hole in my friend-watch.
Bless you Daughter, and Herself, for all you did for him and please keep his legacy alive here by letting us all grieve a bit, celebrate a bit, and realise that we’re all the better for knowing what he got up to!
As said above, anecdotes of his fabulous life will live on, if you can find it in your heart to let us know!
R.I.P.
I only came to Grandad recently, when he was in the latter stages of his treatment. His wicked humour and stoicism in the face of this dreadful disease was an object lesson to us all. Such an incredibly brave man, he will be missed by so many. May you rest now Grandad, God bless.
Dear Daughter
Sad news indeed.
Vale Grandad. You will be sorely missed. I raise a glass of Jameson’s to your memory: sláinte! May you rest in peace, a new star in the firmament to join Seán.
My condolences to Herself and to yourself, Daughter, and your family.
DP
Difficult to say how much I’ll miss Grandad’s rambles. I can’t remember how I found him, but he’s always been entertaining, right to the end. He’ll be sadly missed by all of us. I hope that, if Martin Scriblerus continues, you’ll be able do an occasional guest post, Daughter?
Sad news indeed. Along with many others I will greatly miss his rambles, always full of wit, humour and cheerfullness as he navigated life’s ups and downs.
He died as I would have expected him to, with dignity and without fuss. I shall miss him.
Though I was expecting to read this ‘someday’ I wasn’t expecting it yet. My deepest condolences to you and family. He has touched the lives of so many at home in Ireland and all over the world via his blog. He will be greatly missed. RIP Grandad.
It is with great sadness that I read you’re news. He will be missed by so many people who regularly followed his ramblings. He has been at the top of my favourites for many years. How brave was he to continue to post to the very end.
My condolences to you your mum and your family .
Condolences and thoughts are with Grandads family and friends. I will miss his musings, helped me through a few dark times
and always made me chuckle.
R.I.P.
I am so sorry to read this. I had a wobble recently and he sent me the loveliest email. Rest easy Grandad, you were one of a kind.
Bugger. R.I.P. Grandad <3
Sorry to hear the sad news. My sympathies to family, and thanks daughter for letting us know.
RIP Grandad
A great loss. He was instrumental in the setting up and hosting of the Leg Iron Books website. It might never have happened without his expertise.
Sorry for your loss, Daughter. A brave, stoical and witty man.