My parents met with their priest at the hospital and said Last Rights to my brother at 1pm yesterday. At 3pm, after my parents had left, they disconcerted Todd from the machines keeping him alive. He passed away at 6:42pm.
A person that asked us to donate body parts called at 9pm. We didn't expect that, and it somehow made it all more final. That's when I really cried for the first time. We agreed and hopefully somebody will benefit from my brothers passing.
The funeral home will pick up his body some time today, then notify us when they have his ashes.
Today, my Mom and my wife will come with me to his place to go through his processions. Mom is worried about his food, and she wants to bring home all his clothing and wash it. I'm going to work on his watering system for his ducks and pheasants, and look anything of value. We're still looking for documents. This afternoon, friends will come by to get his dog. They have an Australian Shepard that should be a good playmate for his Kelpie. I'm also going to start contacting people that he sold ducks and pheasant to, with the hope that I can put together some kind of a deal to sell all of them all at once. I'm guessing that he has over 300 mallards. He was licensed to raise wild birds, and it was a decent business that he had built up.
Next week, I'll start the process of going to the bank, post office, and talking to lawyers. We haven't decided what to do with the land or cattle yet. My wife and I would really like to have them, but we don't have the fencing done yet. They are fine at his place for awhile, but I'll probably have to start hauling hay there to keep them fed over the winter. I'm not sure if that's something that I want to deal with, or if it even makes any sense. We're still dealing with our emotions too, so what we think is a good idea today, might prove to be a bad idea pretty soon.
I posted this on my FB page,
My brother, Todd Walker, passed away yesterday at age 55. Last Sunday, his heart stopped for 15 minutes from a leaking valve. This put him in a coma that he never recovered from.
He was able to obtain his dream of having a successful farm in Mabank Texas. He raised Poll Herefords, and he was a licensed wild bird breeder for mallard ducks and pheasants.
Todd lived his life on his terms, and in many ways, he was bigger than life. If you met him, you remembered him. If he was your friend, he was a friend for life. If you had a beer with him, you had a great time. There was nobody better to spend the day in the duck blind with, than my brother Todd.
Rest in Peace Todd, you will always be loved and remembered.