A real heart breaker for me

[FanMan]

My mother in law has Alzheimers and pretty much doesn't recognize anybody any more, but that doesn't matter to anybody here, I mention it only to say I know what it's like to deal with.

My father, OTOH... he passed away a few years ago (cancer, his mind was sharp up to the end). He wasn't a metalworker, woodworking and R/C modeling was his thing, but he sure was a tool junkie. When he died (he was always clear that "everything in the shop" should go to me), I filled the largest U-Haul trailer available with all the stuff in his shop. Lots of the stuff was like old friends, tools I used and remember from my childhood, some were replacements he bought for older tools that he gave me before he died (I think he did that a lot, replace a perfectly good drill or saw just so he could give me the old one), and some stuff was just oddball, stuff he saw somewhere and just bought because it looked cool. And lots of parts, nuts and bolts, and unfinished projects.

Now I work in my shop, and some days I feel like he's still there with me when I pick up one of his tools. But I sometimes wish I could ask him, "Hey Dad, what did you have in mind here?" or "What were you going to use this for?"

 

[Bob1947]

This is a touching post with potent meaning for all us sons. I vote with "rafe" above on the practical matters you face. Of course, in your loosing his cherished objects, the objects you wish to also cherish and keep close, you naturally begin to grieve the loss of the man you wish you could hold onto. It is heartbreaking -- and pretty much universal.

 

[Bill C.]

Visiting my parents & helping them get the house ready for sale. My dad has dementia and my mom has a few issues & both in their 80's.

When Benny & myself went down to their place to pick up a truck the neighbor lady gave me I found 2 tool boxes both machinist boxes. One was the first ever Kennedy tool box I ever bought new and used at my job at Mansfield Aircraft as a mill operator, the second was a tool box my dad has had since I can remember from at least 5 years old. My dad told me to take one home with me and I chose the one he had for years for sentimental reasons and to not let it fall into the wrong hands. I told my dad I wanted the other one too and to not let anything happen to it. On this trip I find the tool box missing from where it was stored and asked my dad about it, he said he never done anything with it. I found it inside his shop & to my horror he had painted it with some flat black & flat red paint, the box was in really great shape before.

The second heart breaker is a neighbor of his gave him an old Gerstner (I believe) that is in really bad shape & had a few machinist tools in it, nothing great but stuff I would love to have & would use. I ask if I can have it (He thinks it's worth $500.00) so of course I can't have it. He keeps telling me I can have anything I want but of course that doesn't include the tool boxes. I would like to have the box and restore it but the tools would be more of a need to me than the box. These are the kind of things that would be nice to pass down to my grandsons and easy items for them to hang on to for years to come.

Sorry to learn about your parents. My father had Alzheimer's when he passed away, he was in his 70's. He was a maintenance-man for 30 years. He painted some of his tools as well. Hopefully you can remove the new paint, if not get a can of Kennedy krinkle spray paint. The Best of Luck to you

 

[bcall2043]

Charley,

Sorry to hear about your mom and dad. Also sorry we keep missing with the phone calls, I had an idea when I called you but when I got home I proved it was a bad one.

I just returned home from Texas where Judy is dealing with her parents. Her mom is 80 and her dad is 85. Her mom just got out of the hospital Tuesday and was to enter a rehab center for a couple of weeks but refused to stay for the treatments.

Judy's dad has been down sizing his shop, giving some things away at stupid low prices and asking crazy high prices for other things. Now I learn of you dad and his down sizing and it makes one stop and think about what will happen to our toys when we get older!

Good luck helping with the arrangements.

Benny