For My Father

My father died yesterday morning. After 27 years of fighting cancer, the last two years very aggressively, he succumbed; but not without a fierce fight. It took his heart 12.5 hours to stop beating after the tubes were taken out, his blood pressure was steady the whole time and he gobbled up 4 bags of morphine (“enough for a big elephant and a small elephant” as the nurse said).

He died as he wished – in a dignified manner, peacefully and unaware.

He was my hero and my role model. He taught me how to work (“it’s not done until you clean up“), how to drive and how fix everything from drywall to a water heater.

This was a man who while weak as a child still got on his knees to play with the grandchildren in, what would turn out to be, the last weeks of his life.

I will miss his special affection for conspiracy theories; “I know the government is tapping our line” – which many have been proven true after 9-11.  I will especially miss his sense of humor and sensibility.  On my marriage day he told me not to worry “only the first 35 years are hard“.

I will miss my father for the rest of my life. If I will be half as good a parent to my children as he was to me I would consider that a rousing success.

“I will miss Yoram.  We had some heartfelt conversations.  He never complained.  He
always made me feel that I was family.” – Maury I.

“for me he will always be young, vital and so sweet.” – Rotem D.

“I love your parents, they are so generous and always opened their home to me. ” – Linda L.

“את יורם אני מכיר הרבה מאוד שנים, אני זוכר אותו משיעורי הנהיגה בטרקטור, איך כל דבר הוא לימד ביסודיות ובעיקר בסבלנות רבה, יורם היה באמת מהאנשים התמימים והישרים שכבר לא רואים כמעט, אנשים שכמותו” (“I remember him from the tractor driving lessons, he taught with diligent detail and especially a lot of patience. Yoram truly was one of those honest people we rarely see today.”) – Tal G.