Rest in Peace my darling

Canberra, Australia snusher@gmail.com

Message from Lynne

Juliet, Gina & I spent Friday with Peter.  He was resting quietly & gradually slipping away. 

I was a volunteer at the Hospice for 5 years from 1998 until 2003 and started by doing the evening shift, for the meal times from 5.30pm on Friday nights into the evening.  I would follow a remarkable pair of volunteers, Edna & Arthur who would do the afternoon shift and give me a handover as I arrived to let me know about the patients & their carers. Edna & Arthur have done this shift now for 15 years and were on in the afternoon & I took great pleasure in spending some time with them.  Arthur is now 84 years and says that he will stop when Edna tells him he has finished his training.  Another volunteer I have worked with, Peter came on to do the evening shift & I caught up with him also. We all spent time quietly talking in Peter's room.  They say that people can hear what is going on around them & the voices of their loved ones, even when they are not able to speak any more themselves.  It was wonderful to renew the friendships & spend this last watch and time with them, and gave the Hospice time a sense of closure.

At 9.30 pm I gave Peter a good night kiss and told him I was going to bed and wished him sweet dreams.  I curled up in my bed in the room near him, and third night we had spent together there.  The night nurse came with her torch just before 10.00 pm,  shone the light on Peter & checked his pulse, and came over to me to tell me Peter had just passed away.  Peter looked so very peaceful; at rest at last.  No more dark & difficult long nights.

I rang Juliet & Gina & they came.  We had arranged that they would arrive in the morning if Peter slept thru the night.  (The room was only big enough for one person to sleep over; I wanted it to be me there to do anything needed in these final precious night hours). 

Peter was lying clean & comfy, freshly shaved & washed  in fresh pyjames with a beautiful red rose on his pillow covered with our soft butterfly rug.  We said our final goodbyes & I gave him a kiss for his last journey.  We packed up the room, came home, and were eating raisin toast & cups of tea at midnight.  Such a thoughtful time to choose to go, in the early evening & not 3 or 4 am with frosted cars...but then,  Peter has always been a thoughtful & caring man. We all went off to electric blankets toasted beds and to sleep, our final vigil completed. 

Peter & I celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary in May. I have been blessed to be able to spend these years with this remarkable man, and share in the raising & development of our two children, Jeremy & Juliet.  Peter was so thrilled to be a granfather to Finn, and know that a further generation has been created in him. Peter has touched so many lives and will live on in the memories we have of him.  Thank you all for your emails, phone calls & care and love for us.

We are arranging the funeral and expect that it will be on Wed afternoon 21 July, and I will put the details up on the blog.