Wednesday, August 4, 2010
I cared for Martin as his caregiver when I worked for Gentiva health care services for 5 years.
First I would like to say, I am deeply sorry of your loss. A great man I lost touch with for a while and today thought I would write him a note, but to sadly see he passed on. Martin was a great man. He gave me special recipes to cook for him. I remember "Snoey Noodles". He told me the old fashion way his wife would make them as he handed me the recipe of his wife's own hand writing. I made them the same way. Well, I tried & he liked them. I felt honored. He showed me how. He would get the recipes and he would send me to the store with exactly everything we needed to cook each special meal. He loved my spaghetti. I made plenty as he loved to share it with his special yard man helper. He used to say..'This guy is a trouble maker but he dose not have much and I like helping him out'. I remember making lunch for both of them on many occasions. He talked about the old days of when he started at the camas Mill working. He loved all his collections in his home with so much pride. Martin told me many stories of the doll collection his wife had. I remember setting them up just right so he could have his wife's favorite one in front. they all had a story to tell. Even her favorite one she carried with her always. Martin dearly missed his wife and talked a lot about how he took care of her up until she went to the nursing home & how he took things over there like flowers & gifts for all who knew his wife & those would cared for her. Martin and I wrote often. We kept in touch. He and I had lunch many times. Spent hours hearing his stories and how important they all meant to him. How he wanted to keep them all written down in a safe place. He even wanted to learn the internet so he could type them up & save them. but, Martin kept them safe in all areas of the house. Some lock & key & mostly at is front room chair side in his favorite chair he always sat in his living room. I remember coming to work and seeing him in the window when I tried to ring the door bell and he did not answer. He was asleep, at all times I prayed he was "just asleep"..as he scared me many times. Martin could not hear well, but I always sat with him by his chair and listen to him more than me talking, due to his hearing loss, and of course he was more interesting! I do hope that Martins stories become a legend as so was he. He wrote everything down leaving nothing out, even a note pad with all grocery spending. I would write down what he gave me to the store and come back with change and write that down to, not forgetting the date on each and every trip to the store. All his thoughts, Everything right beside him and his chair, photos, stories, memories I will never forget.
