Details regarding Grandpa Art

Arthur Leonard Thelin (Jr)
January 18, 1922 - March 26, 2009

My Grandpa Art died in his sleep sometime early in the morning on Thursday (3/26/09). When my Grandma (Doris) and my Aunt Jody went to go wake him up at 8:30am, they discovered that he had already passed. (Probably not too long before, since he was still fairly warm.)

While we're all grieved to loose him, we are glad that he's no longer in pain. His last 8 months, since being diagnosed with cancer, have been difficult (especially for my aunt & grandma, who have been taking care of him daily). We think he *most likely* died of kidney failure, as his kidneys had not been functioning well for a while (due to various meds prescribed).

On Wednesday he had made a comment to the visiting doctor saying that on Monday (earlier in the week) he had thought he was going to see the Lord. And after a visit from his brother Claire (previous week), Grandpa had a tear in his eye. Grandma thinks he knew he wasn't going to be around much longer and was saying his goodbye (to Claire). He has previously mentioned to all of us that he was ready to go whenever the Lord called him home.

I'm so very glad I got to know my grandpa. He was a loving man, a kind father, and a doting grandfather. He loved gardening in his flower-bed (he has some wonder flowers) and taking pictures. Just about all my memories of him involve him having a smile on his face.

I'm also very glad that 2 years ago I took the time to go through with him the box(es) of pictures that he's saved from his life (growing up, as a young man in WWII, just married, working for General Petroleum as a photographer, family photos, etc.) and made notes about the various photos and souvenirs/items saved. At that time we also put together a Memory Book that records his birth through High School Graduation. (My aunt & I were the ones who actually worked on the book, but he was around while we worked on it and loved seeing the book as it progressed).

I will take pictures of the book (the pages) and post them online later. The book will be coming with me to the Memorial Service as well...and so will all the other photos. (I'm currently working on putting up various photos of the book into presentation boards for the Memorial Service. Which I really must get back to now.)

Thank you everyone for all your kind thoughts and prayers and well wishes for the family. I've been passing them along. We really do appreciate it all.
=)


For those who would like to know, here are a few details concerning the upcoming Funeral & Memorial Service:

There will be a Viewing at the Alhiser-Comer Mortuary, in Escondido, CA on Thursday, April 2, 2009 at 8:00pm.

The Funeral itself will be private (family only) on Friday, April 3, 2009 at 10:30am at Oak Hill Memorial Park (Escondido, CA).

The Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at 2:00 P.M. at Westminster Presbyterian Church followed by a reception in the fellowship hall.