Never did I think I would be writing this post, at least not right now any how.
I woke up Saturday morning the hubbs was already at work, just like any other day here lately. I laid there in bed with my fat puppies surfing the web on my phone. Checking up on the latest as to what was going on in the world.....only to find out that my Papa had passed away. SERIOUSLY!!!!!! I found out on FACEBOOK that my Papa had passed away. COME FREAKING ON PEOPLE. I understand that you want to get the word out but don’t you think it would be right if you made sure immediate family new FIRST!!!! I think the thing that pisses me off the most about this is that it was one of my Cousin’s that posted it that isn’t even in Texas were my papa lived or immediate family. I know he was close to my papa but still. It happened at midnight Friday night / Saturday Morning and he posted it on FB Saturday Morning at 7-F-ING-AM. To say I was slightly pissed would be a understatement. That’s not how I want to find out about my papa passing away. And then for me to call you and you have NO details or information on what happen and your NOT even sure if my mom know’s yet, whom happens to be the daughter of my papa. AAAAHHHHAAAAAHHHHH I was fuming. What if my mom didn’t know (thankfully she did) and she logged on to FB and saw your post and that is how she found out that her dad has passed away. People seriously I tell you, the nerve. Don’t get me wrong I love this cousin very much and have much respect for for him, for other reason’s but this right here just makes me so angry.
It’s 7am in the morning, I gather myself and try to think of who to call back home. Thankfully its only a hour time difference (they are behind.) I’m still nervous to call my mom because at the time I didn’t know if she knew or not. I decided to call my grandma (my papa’s ex wife, however you’d think they were still married sometimes but that’s another story lol) she didn’t answer, I knew she would be awake but she wasn’t answering the phone. I called back several times and still nothing, this had me worried. I called my brother, nothing. I called my brothers girlfriend (thank goodness the girl loves me calling her at 6am Texas time.) I woke her up and felt awful but no brother. (normally they are always together) He was at the river house, so I called him back again. He answered, I made sure he was good and awake and I told him about the passing of our papa. He was devastated and just kept saying over and over “I can’t believe it I can’t believe it”. I felt so bad because I knew he was there alone and had no one to turn to at the moment. The last time both of us lost someone we were this close to was our other Papa back in 2002. (That was a extremely difficult time for us both) I still had no answer’s or detail on what had happened. Finally my grandma called back, I fished around to see if she knew anything about what happened because I didn’t want to be the one to tell her, like I said they were still close. I knew it would be a hard hit for her as well. I asked her several times if she’d talked to mom or if she’d heard from her lately and she said no and asked why. I just avoided her asking and told her I’d call her later. She then told me she knew about my papa and so did my mom. Awh, what a relief I suppose. She then told me that the hospital called her first, asked if she was related to him. Her name was listed in his phone as Wanda Mercer and my papa’s last name is Mecer and they were trying to reach the next of kin. She told them that she was not the next of kin that she was simply his ex wife. Of course at that point they would not tell her anything. She told them he (my papa) had a son and daughter that would be the next of kin and they mentioned my mom’s name. She said yes, they’d been calling but couldn’t get a answer from her. My Mamaw then called my Uncle (my papa’s son) and told him he needed to call the hospital that something was going on with his dad. He replied with “mom I don’t know how to call the hospital”, my mamaw though about it and told him that the hospital person called from my papa’s cell phone. She told my Uncle to call his phone back and surly someone would answer. He did so, they asked whom he was and he told them. It was at that time that the hospital representative told my Uncle of his father’s passing. He hung up and called my mamaw back (his mom) and said “Momma, daddy’s gone, he’s gone”, she told him he needed to call my mom because she didn’t want to be the one to tell her. He though she would be mad because she wasn’t there when it happened but no body was so how was she to be mad. He called my mom and told her and of course it was one of the hardest moment in her life I’m sure. She lives about a hour away from our whole family so she quickly headed to pick up my Uncle and they went down to the hospital from there with one of their cousins.
From what I was told and what we know right now is that, my papa drove himself to the hospital in the middle of the night Friday night, so he knew something was wrong or not right (the hospital wasn’t to far of a drive from were he lived) once he arrived at the hospital apparently he couldn’t make it out of his truck so he honk and honk on the horn till someone came out. At that point from what I understand they did everything they could but it just wasn’t enough..........he was gone................................
Then that brings me to 7am Saturday morning when I woke up and saw the devastating news on Facebook.
A biopsy was being done on Sunday to find out what happen but I have not heard anything from that.
I’m on a plane headed home to Texas as I type this, I wasn’t sure If I was going to be able to make it home for the funeral or not. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go, I know that sounds bad but I don’t do well with death. I mean no body does but it’s something that is just very hard for me to wrap my head around. I just saw my papa in April when I was home for Spring Break that was 3 months ago, so much can happen in that amount of time, and this just proves it. Papa was a very loving person, he was everybody’s friend and NEVER met a stranger or a person he wouldn’t talk to. It was almost embarrassing sometimes being out in public with him but that was his personality. Everyone loved him and his stories, it was never a dull moment when he was around. (My mom is so like him, so if you never got a chance to meet him hang out with my mom for a day and you’ll know just what I’m talking about.) I have so many fond memories of going to his house for weekends growing up when he lived in Conroe. Playing with the lizards on his back deck, the beautiful flowers and his big old ugly dog Sam. Diggin in the garden, shooting his potato gun off the deck, oh and his baby dear bambie I think her name was. He had one of those big circle chairs that I loved sleeping in and everyone else hatted it. He had hair as silver as a sliver dollar, I can’t remember it ever being a different color. He was a “Jack of all Trades” as some people would say. I know some people weren’t crazy about me marrying a man in the military and moving away at the time but my papa being prior military himself was so proud of Gabe and what he was doing and still is doing for our country, he always asked about him and told me count-less times during both deployments he was praying for him and all those other boys to come home safe. I remember at my wedding my Aunt Holly (my maid-of-honor) coming up and giving a speech then Gabe’s best man, our DJ then opened the floor to anyone else who would like to come up and say a few words, OF COURSE my papa was the the first one up there to put his two sense in, “oh lord I though to myself”. It might have been short and simple but it was sweet and loving. He was a HUGE Texas Rangers fan, well my whole family is minus me really. As much as I hated hearing about the Rangers sometimes I sucked it up put a smile on my face and listened because he loved it. If the game was on you better believe that he’s gonna be watching it and you’d better not disturb him or he was listening to it on the radio if he wasn’t there. He loved going to the casinos, even if he didn’t win anything he had the best time. His favorite candy were these nasty Coconut bars, you couldn’t find them any were but when we did we stocked him up. When we would drive to Houston we always stopped at the same gas station to pick some up for him. He eventually moved back up to Arlington were I’m from and settled there. I moved away a year later and didn’t see him much after that because of the distance but every time I came home we always had a family dinner at my Mamaw’s house and he always came. We would tease my mamaw because papa James was coming and we’d better not let papa Fredo find out (her husband now) because he would go nuts. Not really but it was always a running joke in the family. I could go on and on about the stories of my papa but that would take a life time. I really can’t believe he’s gone, I don’t know if its fully set in or if it ever will. I still have the hardest time believing that my other papa has been gone for over 12 year’s now. Thank goodness the Good Lord blessed me and my brother with two VERY STRONG GrandMothers!!!!!! I don’t know were I’d be with out any of my grandparents.
I’m blessed and thankful for the time we had together and will never forget the memories we made.
I love you Papa James and I’ll alway’s think of you in everything I do. Until we meet again.
Love Tiffany
My Grandparents
RIP Papa James & Aunt Marie
Hugs after a speech at our wedding.
Love that goofy old man!!!
Me, Papa and Bubby!!!!
We love you Papa and will miss you so much!!!!
December 20, 1940 - July 27, 2013
He was 72 years young when he passed away.
He was 72 years young when he passed away.
