My Dad's... (Grandpa Ron's) Obituary

Cloughsey, Ronald “Ron” R., 60 of Ft. Lauderdale passed away under the care of Hospice on Saturday, March 20, 2010. He was born on June 10, 1949 in Staten Island, New York and moved to Florida in 1977. He was predeceased by his parents Mary Dunn Cloughsey, David Cloughsey and his brother Thomas Cloughsey. He is survived by his daughter, Stacy Anne McCabe, son-in-law, Mark T. McCabe and ex-wife Patricia A. Cloughsey.

Ron received a Bachelors Degree from Richmond College for Medical Technology. He used his knowledge and outgoing personality in his career as a Laboratory Sales Representative for a majority of his life.

Ron’s favorite hobby was to travel. He made several trips to other countries. He also enjoyed taking cruises with family and friends.

A graveside service at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park, Clearwater, FL will take place on Friday, April 16th at 3 P.M.

Donations in Ron’s name can be sent to Moffitt Foundation (Sarcoma Research), 12902 Magnoila Drive, Tampa, FL 33612. Please include Ron’s name in the memo section of your check.

GOD Saw You…
“God saw you getting tired
and a cure was not to be
so he put his arms around you
and whispered, Come to Me.
With tearful eyes we watch you
and saw you pass away and although we loved
you dearly we could not make you stay.
A Golden heart stopped beating
hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove us
he only takes the best”

SERVICE INFORMATION

GRAVESIDE SERVICE:

Friday April 16
3:00 PM
Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park
2860 Sunset Point Road
Clearwater, FL

At Peace....

On April 16th my dad was put to rest. Tom McQueen officiated the ceremony. What an amazing service for him. My dad was never truly religious but did have the faith of a Catholic. Tom McQueen touched on the most important topic with me on this day. He stated that the one thing peopled loved about my dad was his personality. The thing he care the most about was me. It was overwhelming.

Many people showed up for the service. Irene, Kathy and Coleen from the other coast and Orlando which were people he knew for many years in his medical field. My in laws, Jenee, Nick, Loretta, Cheryl, Bill and my moms whole office plus other co workers. We also had family Elaine and Bob attend.

Verse Tom McQueen choose to relate death...
10 Words...........

John 11:1-45 (New International Version)

John 11

The Death of Lazarus

¹Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. ²This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. ³So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

⁴When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." ⁵Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. ⁶Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

⁷Then he said to his disciples, "Let us go back to Judea."

⁸"But Rabbi," they said, "a short while ago the Jews tried to stone you, and yet you are going back there?"

⁹Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's light. ¹⁰It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light."

¹¹After he had said this, he went on to tell them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up."

¹²His disciples replied, "Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better." ¹³Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

¹⁴So then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead, ¹⁵and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."

¹⁶Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Jesus Comforts the Sisters

¹⁷On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸Bethany was less than two miles^a]">[a] from Jerusalem, ¹⁹and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

²¹"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

²³Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

²⁴Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

²⁵Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; ²⁶and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

²⁷"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ,^b]">[b] the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

²⁸And after she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. "The Teacher is here," she said, "and is asking for you." ²⁹When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

³²When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."

³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. ³⁴"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.

³⁵Jesus wept.

³⁶Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

³⁷But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

Jesus Raises Lazarus From the Dead

³⁸Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. ³⁹"Take away the stone," he said.
"But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days."

⁴⁰Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

⁴¹So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

⁴³When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!" ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, "Un tie him and let him go."

The Plot to Kill Jesus

⁴⁵Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.

GOD has called on another......... MY DADDY!!!!

On March 20, 2010 at 5:35 PM my dad passed away. He died peacefully and is no longer in pain. He died with his best friend sitting next to him and a loving daughter on the way to be with him. I missed him by an hour. I had a baby shower at work early in the morning and when I got home my mom called me from Hospice and told me he was having a bad day and things did not look good. I felt something come over me and I had to be there. I called my boss who is amazing and told him that I had to be there. I hopped in the car at 2:50PM on my way to be there for him. When I spoke with his nurse she said that I may not make it in time but he was comfortable and not in any pain.
My mom told him that I was coming and I would be there around 6:30 PM. I had to watch my speed and I promised my mom that I would drive safely since I have precious cargo in my belly (my baby girl). I stopped in Arcadia for a restroom break and drove by my dad's favorite house where the highway forks. Shortly after, I got a call from my mom that he passed and he was at peace.
I believe that things always happen in life for a reason...... I missed him by an hour....I do not think that he wanted me to see him like this......He choose to go before I could get there. He knew I was on my way and that I needed to be there for my mom.

I feel very sad and heartbroken that I will not be able to create more memories with him. I am grateful for the things he did for me, the time we shared, the support and love he gave me throughout the years. He was there for me and my mom throughout our lives. I know I may not have had the "nuclear" family, but I think I had something even more special. I had two parents that cared enough about me and each other to realize staying together was not fair for them or for me. I respect the friendship they where able to keep through the years. Although NOT in love they stilled loved each other and me. That is something I will always hold dear and true to my heart. We created some fun adult family times... taking several cruise... Disney trips.... sea world.... and just hanging out.

Although his life came to an end before he got to meet his granddaughter I know he will be her guardian angel and help me guide her to make the right decisions and help mold her into the woman that she will be one day.


I LOVE YOU DAD..... You are at peace and I am happy you are no longer suffering. I will miss you forever.......

Life is strange and very confusing at times

Life is strange and very confusing at times. Life…. What s life here on earth? Why do some live a lifetime of joy and fond memories… Why do some always feel like they are facing a battle day by day…… Why do some just coast trough without a care in the world….

Today my Dad was placed in Hospice after fighting a real tough battle with Soft Tissue Sarcoma. He was diagnosed December 15, 2007. There is not much knowledge about this type of cancer so we did what the basic protocol was for each stage. His main tumor was removed from his leg in late December. He recovered like a champ. He then faced radiation for 3 months every day Mon- Fri. After a few months with out any symptoms and a nice 7 day cruise o Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Mexico. In September 2008 we did a short cruise to the Bahamas. We came back to find out that the cancer had spread to the Lung. We scheduled surgery the week of Thanksgiving 2008. He did the DiVincie robotic surgery to remove two tumors located around his lung. The surgery was said to be a success. In April 2009 he did a follow up and the CT showed that cancer had multiplied and there were several large tumors in the lung and a lot of small tumors lining the lung. He said that we would only have a few months. I got on the phone with Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa who has a Sarcoma Clinic and we were able to get him in there for treatment. In May 2009 he started a round of chemo which was a 3 day process of staying in the hospital. This was done with lost of success. The small tumors disappeared and all of the larger ones shrunk and or stabilized. We took another short 4 day cruise in September 2009 to celebrate.

This is the point where things did not go so well. He came back to Ft. Lauderdale and meet with a local Cancer specialist. He was put on a clinical trial which we found out he was on the “real” pill. The side effects were horrible and the weightloss became too much for him to continue. He then struggled with diabetes, breathing problems. Fluids building up in his lung.

We had to make the best decision for him and get him back to Moffitt in December 2009 for an evaluation. His cancer was spreading and they recommended a lung surgery to reduce the fluid build up. He decided to wait until after the first of the year. He continued to be scene by his oncologist in Ft. Lauderdale until January 20, 2010 when this doctor told him he could not do anything else for him and gave him a month. At this point they drained his lung and accidentally collapsed the lung. My mom & Lenny came over to get him on a 24 hour world wind. He went back to Moffitt and tried a round of chemo and several chest tubes and lung surgeries. This eased his breathing and gave him a little extra time. On March 18, 2010 a decision was made by my father that he had given it his all and did not have any more fight in him. He was transported to Hospice. When he arrived at the beautiful facility in Palm Harbor all arrangements were made. After an evaluation the nurses gave him about 3 or 4 days…………………….

We gave him last rights. I was able to say my goodbyes while he was lucid. I told him I loved him and thank you for the things he taught me and a great life. It told him it was ok to go and that he fought a good battle but GOD must have a better plan for him……… Now we just wait……….

Our beautiful Niece..... Kathrine Rose (Katie)

On March 16, 2010 I woke up to get a glass of water and to see if Mark was home from working on an airplane. He wasn't and I turned on the TV just to catch the weather forecast. I rolled over to go back to sleep and I heard a text at 5:20 AM which read "Having your niece today! Should be soon!" ..... Leslie was due on April 7 so this truely was an unexpected text to get in mid March. Well don't ya know little Kathrine Rose MacGowan could not wait any longer. She was born at 8:42 AM 18.5" long and a healthy 6lbs 11 oz.

Congrats to Leslie & Rick on such a precious little one.

Here is her first picture..... more to come........

She is in position and we only have 10 weeks left....

We had a doctors appointment on Thursday..... Her little heartbeat was at 180 beats per minute. I was a bit nervous although the doctor said that it was normal and we may have caught her at a peak of movements but he wanted to put me on the Doppler monitor for about 10 minutes to track the movements. So while siting there for 10 minutes she was flipping, dancing, cartwheeling and bouncing around. It was funny because I would feel her move and she would run from where the Doppler was and the nurse had to keep adjusting it. Her resting heartbeat was 148 and her active was 178. Dr. Fern said it was a great sign that she was so active and he was happy with the numbers.

As he did his measurements he felt the positioning. I was scared to find out that she is in position already.

We now get to visit the doctor every other week. Next time is Dr. Falzone next Friday.

Whooo Hooooo Passed the test...

Great news from the doctor on Thursday. My levels were perfect.

........... Happy Happy ... Joy Joy...............