Tribute to my Dad

I can’t believe it has been a month since I last blogged.
We took my Dad home on hospice care on Oct. 27th and he passed away on Nov.15th.
Hi last wish was to be at home and we are so happy that we could keep him there until the end. My Mom did an awesome job of taking care of him with the help of myself, my siblings, and the hospice workers who were so fantastic.
During those three weeks, all eight of his children were able to visit and spend time with him and we were able to put him up in the combine so he could make one last round in the corn field which was so important to him. He was so happy that day.
My Dad was never in pain (or so he said) but he did endure a lot over the last 11 months of his life—many hospitalizations, tests, treatments, and surgeries. He was lucid and communicating up to the last few minutes of his life. He and my brother had watched the Minnesota Gophers game that afternoon and discussed the plays. My mom had attended church that evening and brought communion home to my Dad. They prayed together and he received communion from her. Within an hour he was gone.
He was not perfect but he was a really great man and we will miss him terribly. I am sad my child will not meet him but I will have stories to tell and she will know her Granddad.
We know without a doubt that he is in heaven—the Bible tells us that we gain entry into heaven by our faith and my Dad believed!

Leo James McNab
January 25, 1936 – November 15, 2008

Final Harvest
He Was bound to the land from the day of his birth
His roots anchored deep in the fertile earth
Nurtured, sustained, by the soil he grew
And his life, like his furrows, ran straight and true

In faith, each spring, he planted the seeds
In hope, to reap his family’s needs
With patience, he waited for the harvest to come
To gather the fruits of his labor home.

Ever turning seasons, the years sped past
Till the final harvest came at last
Then claimed anew by beloved sod
He was gathered home to be with God.
--Barbara W. Weber