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Grandma Jean Goes Home
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 Jean M. Sleight
June 14, 1920 - March 13, 2011
On Friday, March 4, 2011, Jean was admitted to Evergreen
Hospital in Kirkland. Tests showing dehydration
and low potassium led to a diagnosis of kidney failure.
March 8th:
Jean declined steadily since Saturday and receives
'comfort only' care at this point as she is unable to
eat or drink.
Although the hospital planned to move her to a hospice
facility, through the wonderful efforts of Dr. Susan
Rutherford, who works at Evergreen, Jean was allowed to
stay at the hospital.
Mom never expressed any fear during her ten day stay at
Evergreen Hospital Medical Center. And unless her
feet and legs were being examined, he suffered little
pain.
Jean received many visitors and at various times, Nancy,
Laurie, Dick, and Don all spent the night in her room.
Laurie flew in from Maryland on Sunday morning, March
6th, and stayed with Mom the whole week, except for one very brief visit
to Dad.
March 9th:
Mom said to daughter Laurie and to one
of the staff here, "I have four children." She is
amazingly more "present" today. Arrangements to
keep mom at Evergreen for a few more days were made this
morning. She enjoyed 3" of a candy cane! She
loves peppermint! She's responding well to
questions, as long as the answers are, "O.K., yup," or
"ow!"
Don and Laurie enjoy the Maryland and Washington
basketball games while watching NCAA March Madness.
At one point Mom remarked, "I'm going to dance."
March 10th:
Mom's breathing was often down to four breaths per
minute during the night. She has had the constant
presence of one or more of her four children.
Laurie and Dick spent the night with her. She had
not spoken since yesterday afternoon. However,
this morning she said, "Hello Don" to her eldest, and
"No" when asked if she was experiencing any pain.
She spoke to son-in-law Tom on the cell phone
― or at least listened.
Her "last meal" was a few inches of candy cane.
March 13th:
Jean Moody Sleight passed on at 7:21 a.m. this morning.
Her daughter Laurie was holding her hand while son (and
Laurie's twin) Dick L. stood on the other side of her
bed. It was a very peaceful passing and a very
special time. We are confident that Jean's trust
in Jesus has been recognized and rewarded.
To be published in the
West Seattle Herald,
April 1, 2011.
Long
time West Seattle resident Jean Moody Sleight,
age 90, passed away on Sunday, March 13, at Evergreen
Hospital in Kirkland.
Jean was born Velma Jean Moody to Clyde and Mary Moody
on June 14, 1920 in LaCrosse, Washington. Her
dearest friends were older sister Carol and younger
brother Clyde. During her youth, their family
moved often, with her father a salesman and later
district manager for John Deere. Jean attended
nineteen different schools in Washington, Montana,
Idaho, California, and Oregon, concluding at Albany
College of Oregon.
Jean married Richard Riddell Sleight in Portland,
Oregon, on December 7, 1940. They moved to Seattle
where Dick worked for the Boeing Company. During
World War II and through the 1950’s, Jean also worked
for Boeing, first as a “Rosie the Riveter,” and later as
an expediter.
Jean added to the baby boom, with her four children born
in 1942 (Don), 1953 (Randy), and 1955 (twins Laurie and
Dick). She was dedicated to her children.
She was Cub Scout den mother, Girl Scout leader, and
mother of two Eagle Scouts. She provided logistics and
transportation for family vacations, ski trips, and
countless athletic events. For many years she was
a senior leader at Fauntleroy YMCA’s Camp Colman.
PTA president at both Gatewood Elementary and West
Seattle High School, she received the Golden Acorn
Award.
She enjoyed all kinds of needlework, was an avid reader,
and loved travel. Even with declining health in recent
years, she continued her travels to time-share
condominiums and to the homes of her children.
Jean is survived by her husband of 70 years, her four
children, nine grandchildren, and six
great-grandchildren. The memorial service for this
beloved mother and gentle servant will be on Sunday,
April 3, at 2:00 p.m., at Fauntleroy Community Church
where she worshiped her Lord and served her neighbors.
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Grandpa Dick Suffers Stroke
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 Richard R. Sleight
On Tuesday, March 1, 2011, two days short of his 92
birthday, Dick suffered a major stroke which sent him to
Swedish (Cherry Hill) Hospital in Seattle.
March 8th:
Dick is not able to receive nutrition and, while he
remains at Swedish today, plans include transferring him
to a facility in West Seattle later this week. He
is receiving 'comfort only' care at this point. He
got the chocolate ice cream that he had long requested
but discovered that he could not eat it.
I was cheered by this amazing framed print I came across
in the hallway outside of Dad's room at Swedish Hospital.
It is by famed Washington artist Duane Pasco and is
titled "Doctor's Blanket."
 March 9th:
Last night I found Dad sleeping. He
woke, looked towards me and squeezed my hand when I
asked him to. Then he went back to sleep.
He was given a temporary feeding tube, but pulled it out
a few days later.
March 10th:
Yesterday, Randy was able too feed Dad some apple sauce
and Boost
nutritional supplement drink. We are amazed
that he can eat something. Daughter Laurie, and Nancy, visited him this morning and he was
able to make very short responses. Randy
fed him again this afternoon. Friend and caregiver
Mitsuko Hasagawa is a frequent visitor.
March 11th:
Dick was transferred from Swedish hospital to
Life Care Center of West Seattle today.
He is aware of the devastating earthquake and tsunami
that struck his beloved Japan at 9:46 p.m. our time
yesterday.
March 14th:
Laurie flies back to Maryland tomorrow, so we took this
opportunity to meet with various staff at Life Care
Center. Laurie, Randy, and I attended the
meetings and visited Dad. Later, granddaughter
Annie and Dick's wife Nancy visited "Grandpa Dick" while
he was being evaluated by Physical Therapy and
Occupational Therapy staff. (Today
is Dick L. and Nancy's 30th wedding anniversary.)
There is a high probability that Dad will aspirate while
drinking his meals, and this would put him at risk of
aspiration pneumonia.
When told by Dick L. that his wife had passed away the
day before, he seemed agitated and tried to speak but
could not produce intelligible words. His right hand
still gave a firm handshake. In speaking with
Annie, grandpa made a surprising and clear statement.
"Nancy Sinatra." He followed this up with the name
of one of her songs,
< the title
song from the 1967 James Bond movie You Only
Live Twice. He could not
clearly say much more
― so perhaps he had a
message to share in this song.
You only live twice or so it
seems,
One life for yourself and one for
your dreams.
You drift through the years and
life seems tame,
Till one dream appears and love is
its name.
And
love is a stranger who'll beckon you on,
Don't think of the danger or the stranger is gone.
This dream is for you, so pay the
price.
Make one dream come true, you only
live twice.
March 18th:
Randy feeds Dad each morning. Don observed that
Randy is so patient in this task. Dad managed to say,
"Hi Don," this morning, quite like Mom had done.
March 26th:
Randy has had more success communicating with Dad.
He has also worked with Dad to see if he can sign
his initials or mark an X on his income taxes. He
continues to drink. He is more alert in the
morning. On one recent visit with Dick L, Dad did
not respond, but was deep in sleep. He has
now been sixteen days at Life Care Center of West
Seattle.
Note: This journal entry is being
written on April 10th. The report of Dad's passing
on April 5th will appear in next month's journal.
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He Just Keeps Running,
Running, Running
Nathanael has not had great times to
write home about but his races this month have been most
entertaining. He has run the 800m and 1500m at
races at UPS and PLU, a 3000m at the UW, and then back
again to the Shotwell Invitational at UPS.
At the Club Northwest Spring Break
Open, where he won the 1500m two years ago, he ran a
3000m in 9:16. This nearly 2-mile race gave me a chance
to compare his speed with my best race on that track in
1973. I took 4th at the Metro League Championships
with a 9:52 2-mile. And my per lap speed was just
a bit faster than Nathanael at this race. But Nate
made it interesting as he led at mid-race. He
finished 5th.
At the Shotwell Invitational at UPS,
the SPU team sported new uniforms. Love the black
shorts with white chevrons, but the shirts disappear in
the crowd.
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 An
eBay Shopping Spree to China
Maybe I was depressed, and maybe I
was curious. Just for fun, I compared the cost of
nice ties at JC Penney's and Nordstrom's. A $15
tie at Penney's was likely a $50 tie at Nordstrom's.
Nancy showed me her
mother-of-the-bride dress, and with Jean's passing,
decided to use Jean's dress as her rehearsal dinner
dress. So I was out to find a matching tie.
(I plan to wear a black tux with a black vest at the
wedding.) Just for fun, I checked out eBay.
 Now,
I consider myself a shrewd and economical shopper -- and
sixteen ties later I still think so. I found many
sellers of silk ties in the Hong Kong area and shopped
from one particular seller from "09cancan0601"
in GuangZhou, GuangDong, China. He had good reviews, and
his ties are amazing. The 16 ties I have "won" in
eBay bidding have averaged about $4 a piece.
And (not actually too surprising)
most them arrived with labels like Giorgio
Armani - Made in Italy, Hugo Boss, and Gucci. When
I look at the real Gucci ties online, they look drab
(and they cost $155). Since they were not sold to
me as being from these upscale designers, I feel no
moral qualms about sporting my new finery. And at
$4 each, Nathanael and my name for ties ("shirt
protectors") is finally appropriate. We always
joke that a man wears an expensive tie to protect a $20
shirt.
 Other
Wardrobe Questions
While shopping for tuxes, I came
across a coat sale at JC Penney's. Being Spring, it was
the end of the Winter coat sale season. And I
found just the coat I'd been wanting. I used to
wear a long double-breasted Air Force coat in college.
I have no idea where it has gone, but I wouldn't fit it
now anyway.
I searched the sale rack for a black
wool top coat. I must have tried on half a dozen
coats, 44R, 42S, 38R, etc. I was about to give up
when I tried on a 42R. It fit, and (surprise!), it
was the only double-breasted one on the rack. List
price $250. Sale price $82. And Annie bought
it for me in lieu of phone bills I'm paying for her.
Now, with the imminent demise of my
father, a whole new wardrobe will become mine.
I am closest to Dad's size. I should not be
shopping for clothes.
 Japan
9.0
As natural disasters go, this one
was about as bad as they get. Not just one massive
earthquake, but The Big One followed by
hundreds of big ones. By March 15th, this same map
showed over 460 instead of the 138 pictured here.
You can say what you will about
"building one's house on the sand," but after a disaster
of this magnitude, everyone should feel called to help.
Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear
disaster -- this triple tragedy is still big in the news
a month later. And I wonder if Tom and Annie will
still choose to go to Japan with the
JET Programme
if Tom is offered a job?
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Dick and Nancy Make It to 30
 Nancy
had been planning for a big 30th anniversary party for
March 14th.
It was not God's timing. With
all the excitement with Mom and Dad, there was no time
(or interest or energy) to celebrate.
But with Mom's passing on the 13th,
I took Monday the 14th off from SPU. I did have a
coupon for a dinner discount at Azteca, a
favorite restaurant of ours, and we made a date of it.
I thought my enchilada and tamale combination was great.
Nancy's two enchiladas left her stuffed and wishing
she'd asked for a doggie bag -- but the evening was a
rare and memorable date celebrating 30 years of feisty
yet loving marriage.
 Nancy
Starts Her Own Shopping Spree
 With
Mom's passing and with a wedding in three months time,
home construction has started back up with new momentum.
One area of need has been doors. And Nancy spent
nearly $8000 this month on them. But the result is
going to be fabulous. We now have a new Dutch door
into the gym at the top of the stairs. And the
amazing "Sweet Iris" design graces the new French doors
that separate the dining room from the library.
The same style is going in at the top of the spiral
stairs for Annie's attic "tree-house" bedroom.
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Bits and Pieces
Mr. Harper, the 11th grade English teacher at Bellevue
Christian, has decided to move on. Tom gave Annie
permission to apply for the job. If Japan does not
work out, and she gets the offer, we may have newlyweds
living in the attic!
My boss Jeff will be going on sabbatical mid-April
through July.
The Saturday men are one-third of the way through
Jeremiah.
No doubt much more happened in March 2011, but parent
matters made
all else pale in
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My
quote from February
Vice
Admiral William Penn’s fleet conquered Jamaica in 1655
and it was here that rum was first issued on board ships
of the Royal Navy. The spirit was also known as ‘rumbustion’.
Rum has
the advantage of keeping well, even improving with age.
When abroad, captains of ships were allowed to replace
beer with fortified wine, sometimes brandy, but neither
was available in the West Indies. Rum, however, was, and
became a popular alternative to beer for ships serving
in this part of the world, even though the Victualling
Board back in England had not officially sanctioned its
use.
From 1655
until well into the eighteenth century, the issue of rum
very much depended on individual captains. In 1731 it
was officially decreed that if beer was not available
then each man was entitled to a pint of wine or half a
pint of rum or other spirits.
In 1740
Admiral Vernon (nicknamed ‘Old Grogham’ because of the
boatcloak he wore made of that material), decreed that
the rum issue would be diluted 1:4 and thereafter the
drink was called grog. By 1793 the dilution was usually
1:3.
 From
Vernon’s time to the end of the Napoleonic Wars, two
issues of grog per day remained the custom whenever beer
was unavailable. But the use of rum gradually became
more widespread as did the issuing ritual. In Kydd's
day, the ship’s fiddler played ‘Nancy Dawson’, the
signal for cooks of messes to repair to the rum tub to
draw rations for their messmates. This was always done
in the open air due to the combustible nature of rum!
Rum
acquired the nickname ‘Nelson's Blood’ after 1805 when
legend has it that Nelson's body was preserved in a keg
of rum. Historians now think this highly unlikely, it
was probably brandy.
The American Navy ended the rum
ration on September 1, 1862 but the practice continued
in the British Navy for over a century. On Friday July
31, 1970, rum was issued for the last time in the
British Navy. The day was to become known as Black Tot
Day.
From Julian Stockwin,
www.julianstockwin.com/Life_Aboard.htm
And I can now attest that "3 water"
and "4 water" grog is not all that exciting (or
intoxicating). But it was fun to use the
Montego Bay bottle I had on hand. I would
like to have bought a bottle of Admiral Nelson's
but was offended by the non-authenticity of the label
depiction.
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