God didn't promise days
without pain, laughter without sorrow, nor days without
rain, but He did promise us strength for the day, comfort
for tears, and light for the way.
Truman comes from a
long line of Van Tassels, dating back to the 1600's when
the 1st Van Tassel arrived in NY from Holland. He was
proud of his name and proud to be from America. He was
the second oldest son of 9 children. He had 6 brothers
and 2 sisters. He was very humorous. He loved telling
jokes and making people laugh.
He served in the U.S.
Army during World War II from December 07, 1945 to May
30, 1947. He loved to tell of his travels while in the
service. He served as a truck driver and as an MP. He
received a World War II Victory Medal and an Army of
Occupation Medal. He had a Funeral Service with Military
Honors, and I was presented a United States Flag.
On Aug 22 Truman was 77
years of age. On August 24, 2003, we celebrated our 33rd
wedding anniversary. It was our 2nd marriage that made
for a large family, that he was very proud of. He
cherished our eight children, sixteen grandchildren, 13
great-grandchildren which he always referred to as our
family.
He was predeceased by
both of his parents, Oscar and Mary Van Tassel, his
brother, Andrew, sister Marie Enyart, and 2 sons, Kenneth
Troy, who died in 1982, and Lee Wayne who died
unexpectedly of a massive heart attack on 25 Sept 2003,
just 4 days before Truman died. We will miss them all.
Truman had been sick
all year; in and out of the hospital for the past two
years. I quit working in Jan 2003 to stay home and be
with him, and I'm glad I did. I enjoyed being home with
him, and I had a lot of time to spend on the computer, as
he slept a lot. I started another website, about the same
as this one, yet different in some ways. When he had
surgery in Aug, I was hoping things would be better, and
he seemed to be, but was still in a lot of pain. Then we
found out he had a aneurysm in a blood vessel in his
heart, and his lungs were getting weaker. But in my mind
he was going to be all right. I was told that was denial
on my part.
He was home on our 33rd
Wedding Anniversary, Aug. 24, 2003, but stayed in bed a
lot, because he said when he didn't feel like sitting up.
When his oldest son died, suddenly, unexpectedly, he
grieved so much, and four days later, on Sept. 29th, he
just quit breathing. I still thought he would be all
right. All the way to the hospital, I told myself, he was
strong, and he would pull through this, and I was shocked
when a hour later, the doctor came and told my son, Mark
and I that he was gone.
My heart still aches
for him, for I loved him so. I don't think I will ever
get over it. I look back and see things I could have done
differently, but I know I couldn't have made him well,
and he said he was really ready to go. He worked hard all
his working day, and didn't really want to retire, but
his health forced him to retire early. Now I know he is
no longer in pain.
Days may swiftly come
and go, but in our hearts, his memory will linger on. He
will always be with us; his spirit and his love will
always be with our family. He's the one my heart
holds...forever near. I know he is free of pain and is in
Heaven with his 2 sons and his mom and dad. We're going
to miss him, so we aren't going to say goodbye, but
"We will see you again someday. We love you."
I received so many
cards, and messages in my guestbooks. I want to thank
everyone for your loving thoughts, comments and prayers
for me at the loss of my beloved ones.
