Ken I will pray for your family's peace of mind in the next months. Those will be the hardest. There are no words that will lessen your loss, and your only choice is in how you honor your loss. The best advice I've received is to be kind to myself, and to accept the kindness of others.
My thought and prayers are with you, your wife and family along with my sincerest condolences for your loss. Losing a parent is heartbreaking, but losing a child is so indescribable that there are no words that can bring some comfort, much less when the bond with a step-daughter was so cherished that make you love her like your own Ken.
Thank you for sharing your daughter's picture, Ken. She looks a lot like my Robin did in her military picture in her uniform. Have they been able to determine why she would die so unexpectedly yet ? Here is one of Robin. I am still waiting patiently (or not ?) for her to come back from Afghanistan. Every time there is a bombing or other attack, I worry about her. It is a good thing that she has an excellent sense of humor. The last picture she sent me, she labeled "proof of life" .
I'm just now seeing this. I'm so sorry, Ken. When you love someone, there are no hyphens. It does sound as if she lived fully in her short life, and died peacefully, which is a blessing. You, your wife, and her children will be in my prayers.
Tomorrow, we'll be headed to North Carolina for the funeral. There is going to be two memorial services, one on-base, the other off-base, since not everyone is allowed on-base. Then in a month or so, the burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery. I'll be online pretty much every day but not for as long as I generally am.
Go with God Ken, and stay safe within his love. Your child is only a thought away. My two boys are always with me, and they are still a comfort, even after 22 and 1&1/2 years.
It's pretty amazing how helpful the Army has been throughout this. We attended to memorial service at Fort Bragg today, and the civilian funeral service will be Friday. It it astounding how moving the service was, and ways in which the Army has coordinated things, picking up the tab for my wife and I, our daughter's spouse, and her ex-husband who came with her children. They have assigned drivers for each party, and would have assigned three different drivers, except that everyone concerned has an amiable relationship, even between her former spouse and her current spouse, so we've gone together for some things, and since my wife and I used to live in Fayetteville and have our car, we've elected to drive ourselves to anything off of the base. We pretty much need our military drive to get on the base without a great deal of difficulty. The service on Fort Bragg was impressive; even the base commander was in attendance, and the Army will be picking up the expenses for the services preceeding her interment in Arlington Cemetery later this year, as well. I had no idea how well organized things could be.
Be safe on your journey home, Ken. We are keeping you in our prayers for your loss, and will also add a prayer for traveling safety. Did they ever tell you what it was that caused the unexpected sudden death ?