Last Of His Kind

“Dad passing today, will report later.” - a concise, jarring message to get from Lori just before I was to jump on a ZOOM meeting Wednesday morning. Her dad’s health has been in steady decline for the better part of the past year. We knew he wasn’t far from the finish line, but as my friend Peter says, living gets to be quite a habit. In my experience no matter how much it may make rational sense, the finality of a loved one taking their last breath really packs a punch. And so it did with Jack.

Born in Strasburg, Ohio 1930, Jack Fuhrer enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War. Color blindness prevented him from becoming an Air Force pilot. Instead he became a two-way radio technician and spent his service years in Japan. Upon returning to Ohio, Jack spent much of his life farming. Like my dad, Jack could fix anything - an essential skill for keeping farm equipment running.

In his 30s, Jack broke some things that could not be completely fixed - his ankles. He fell off the roof of a house he was working on, landing awkwardly on some construction debris. A tough injury, but Jack was tougher. His ankles were effectively if not literally fused, making them far less mobile than normal. Once he healed up to the point of “good enough,” Jack just got on with things. I never heard him complain about it, ever. The injury left him with poor blood flow in his feet, which made it really hard to heal even the lightest abrasions he might get on his feet.

His mechanical acumen and love of aviation meant that he would become an avid private pilot. He built (and rebuilt) multiple aircraft, and owned many others over the years. He spread this love of flying to his son Herb, and grandson Josh (who is now a commercial pilot). I forget the age at which no insurance company would sell him Pilot Insurance (somewhere in his 80s, I think) - at that point he simply purchased a different class of aircraft (experimental) that required no such insurance. Just as with his ankle issues, Jack just kept going.

He wasn’t as talkative as some people - but when he had something to say, it was usually pretty memorable. Hmmm…an obstinate contrarian with a razor-sharp wit…I’m trying to think if that reminds me of anyone…it’ll come to me.

While only some of his kids took up his passion for flying, they all received a healthy dose of his stubbornness. As Jack’s needs for support increased these last few years, Lori and her brothers simply increased their support of him. The goal was to allow him to die at home, and they came very close to achieving this. Despite their heroic efforts, it was in Jack’s best interests to spend some time in a long-term care facility - but only a few weeks.

Jack is the last grandparent to leave us. My dad passed in 2008 - too soon to be memorialized in this weekly essay. Next came my mom in 2021, then Lori’s mom in 2023. From the time of my mom’s cancer diagnosis in 2020 until this week, a consistent, significant amount of our weekly energy has been devoted to supporting our parents as their lives wound down. Knowing that this gauntlet has come to an end carries extra weight. We have immense gratitude for being able to do what we have done, and very real relief that it is no longer required.

It’s time to rest a bit, regroup - and then get right back at it. Life is for the living. Jack Fuhrer sure wrung out every drop of living that he could. We’ll do the same.

Sunday Supper

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day. So Corned Beef Hash makes sense. And these Potato Pancakes seem comforting. I must admit, I got a Shamrock Shake at McDonald’s this week - this version is better, especially if you use Jeni’s ice cream, Snowville Whole Milk and ditch the food coloring. Lastly, I made this Beet Salad last week, and loved it. If you love beets, you will too.

Sunday Music

This song by Jason Isbell makes me think of Jack. Willie Nelson is just three years younger than Jack - here is Willie singing You Were Always On My Mind just last year. To wrap up, here’s Gregory Alan Isakov performing live on KEXP about one year ago. Enjoy!

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Have a great week ahead!  Offer support to others.  Make good use of this day.  And let me know how I can help.


Peace & Love,