In a few hours, one of few dates that live forever "burned" into my memory, will again haunt my being. 51 years ago tomorrow, on a Sunday early evening, my first wife's father, she being 20 then, we were married only two years, committed his final and most unimaginable act. Just before, he phoned our house, we four, wife, I, her brother Rick 16, and sister Diane 10, were playing cards. Sue took the call, in our kitchen, we three paying scant attention, until she suddenly dropped the phone.......her father had told her what he had done, closing with "Don't bring the kids". I asked her first, did she think he was in earnest. She thought yes. As I prepared to go over to their folks' apartment, only about a mile away, Rick insisted on coming along. Sue nodded OK, he would be 17 the next month. The apartment was on the second floor of a storefront on our main drag, Cermak Road. Below it was a noisy, boisterous pizza joint, evidently more than able to drown out the noise. We went up the outside back stairs, which led to the flat roof of a garage below, beyond which was the apartment's back door. I knocked loudly, no response, and we then broke the door down. The back porch immediately inside revealed the two bodies, close together, unmoving. This senseless act threw our family, as well as others, into a miasma of distress, uncertainty, and lasting pain; I bear it still fifty-one years later. Frank
A sad and heavy burden to carry for all of these years. Having to deal with such a tragedy at such an early age gave you a quick promotion to man of the family. I hope that the time that has passed and the sharing of this tragic story makes it a little easier for you.
I really liked Rick. He was a big, sturdy Polack, arrived here from Germany at 12, was placed in 5th. grade, two years behind, learned English so easily, they put him in 8th. grade within a semester. So, he entered high school at the usual age, excelled in every subject. He had just begun Senior year when he lost his folks. Within a month, he revealed to us he was bleeding from the rectum. He had gone hunting downstate with Sue's sister's husband, and drank water seeping out of a cliff. I suspected dysentery, our Dr., wise for a young guy, asked if any traumatic event had happened; it had. He rule Ulcerative Colitis, told me to take the kid to Cook County Hospital, no medical coverage, an indigent, we were his only close relatives, they admitted him on his 17th. birthday, November 28, 1967. Ups and downs, lost nearly half his body weight, only treatment available then was steroids and psychiatric help. After nearly dying, before the decision to remove his colon, he slowly came back. Discharged Mar. 31, following year, 4 months in the hospital. We had visited him almost daily, bringing schoolwork. Can you believe this kid graduated with his class, 2nd. in a class of around 500? He had a brilliant mind, and it was trying to kill him....... To shorten this lengthy drivel: Rick was productive during the following years, living with us in Las Vegas, he worked, got an apartment. The Colitis recurred, in varying degrees, at once got very bad; we hospitalized him on a Wednesday, November 26, 1975. Friday morning, the hospital called me: he had suddenly died that morning, on his 25th. birthday. They ruled it a Pulmonary Embolism, blood clot in the lung. My wife saw it as the end of the world....... Frank