Hello friends and family,
Please join myself, Bill, Linda, Haverly and Cassi as we say goodbye to my father.
Dean Frazier Damon, born March 27th, 1944, passed peacefully today, May 4th, 2009. Dad has been resting quietly since being taken off life support on Thursday afternoon. Stubborn as he was, he continued to breathe unaided until just before midnight late Monday night.
I know this comes as a shock to everyone but please feel comfort in the knowledge that dad's own wishes were to not be kept on life support if he were not expected to recover. The doctors felt that recovery was no longer possible given his continued decline.
Dad was not awake during these last few days, receiving a large dose of pain medication. He was relaxed during this time, more so than his family had seen him in almost four months.
Dad was never alone during the last four days either. Always at his side were Bill, mom or I, daughter Haverly, and my beautiful fiance', Cassi.
No amount of words can describe the sadness that we all feel with dad's passing. But in addition to sadness, we also feel joy that dad is no longer in pain, no longer struggling for breath, no longer confined by his condition.
The love and support that all of you have expressed to my family, through emails, phone calls and posts on this site, truly is a testament to dad's legacy. Having touched so many lives, dad will continue to live on through all of us.
No formal arrangements for a service or memorial have been made at this time. We would like to invite you all to continue to check this blog in the days to come. Any plans for a gathering in dad's honor will be posted here, as well as spread through phone and email.
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers. Dad was truly surrounded by our love and attention throughout this journey.
In memory of my father who was truly a man of greatness. Dad, you will always be my hero.
Frazier
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
25 comments:
Dear Bill, Linda, Frazier, Haverly and Cassi,
Words can not begin to express how much sadness I feel upon learning of Dean's passing. The world has lost a great man, who will be deeply missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Dean's wide circle of family and friends during this very difficult time.
Despite the sadness, there is joy from a life well-lived that can provide some comfort in the months to come. Dean lived a full life, was blessed with a loving family that supported him throughout his final journey, and taught all of us so much about living as he persevered through the many ups and downs that have been well documented on this blog.
I am grateful to have known Dean, though the time was much too short.
I extend my deepest sympathies to Dean's family as well as my thanks. You have shared your lives and opened your hearts to us - even through the most difficult of times - and I am humbled by your generosity. I hope you can feel all the love that is directed your way.
Love,
Janice
Peace be with each of you.
Dean was a hero of mine, too, Frazier...and many others.
There was not one time we worked together over the past few years that Dean didn't proudly share the latest news about his children and grandchildren. He loved you very, very much.
I look forward to the time when I can join you and the legion of Dean's BFFs when you celebrate his life and his impact on us all.
Love,
Scott Elliff
Corpus Christi
My eyes full of tears as I read this email. Thank you so much for including all of us on yhis journey. Dean was one of the kindest men I have ever known. I feel honored to have known him and continue to keep all of you in my thoughts and prayers.
David Jensen
Dear Bill, Linda, Haverly and
Frazier,
I too write this entry with tears in my eyes as I begin to come to grips with the loss of my dear friend. What a wonderful life he lived and how he loved all
of you and his grand kids. May God
bring you peace and comfort in the
memories knowing that Dean will live in all of our hearts. His legacy is worldwide and his life
and the journey to his passing a model for us all.
My deepest sympathy goes out to all of you along with much gratitude for bringing all of us along on this journey. Please take good care of each other,and I
too look forward to the time when
we can celebrate Dean.
Much love and warm hugs to
you,
sue from florida
Though your loss is great the love Dean left behind is more than than you can imagine. We should all aspire to be more like Dean. That would be quite a legacy. Thank you for sharing this difficult and remarkable journey with all of us. We will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Love Kathy and Chip
I always admired Dean for the strength of his convictions but more than anything else for being the gentle, loving, and generous spirit that he was. I'm not sure Dean ever knew just how special a man he was to us. I hope that the affection expressed by all his friends via this blog reached him in his final hours and in the days, weeks, and months preceding his death. To all the members of his family, I send my heartfelt condolences and appreciation for your efforts to keep us well informed. Dean will be sorely missed, and we were truly blessed to have known him. Peace to all!
Love,
John
My heart and thoughts are with all of Dean's family, and especially the beautiful and brilliant Haverly.
May the love and kindness that was Dean be with all of you forever.
Susan Oliver (Jesse's mom)
Family and Friends of Dean,
It is with tears of sadness and joy that we say goodbye to a great friend. He has left us in person but his spirit, his smile and his memory will always stay with us. I know that a part of Dean is in each of us. Our heart goes out to everyone who has been fortunate enough to be touched by his life and his presence on earth.
All our Love Sue and Muriel
Dean was a lovely man. He meant so much to our family.
After reading your blog, which has been the first thing we do every morning, and learning of this sad news Will and I start sharing memories of Dean. I wanted to share Will's favorite memory. We had only been dating a short time. Will came to Breck to meet my parents. He was super nervous, and we arrived in Breck before my parents. Dean and Bill were at their house and invited us for blueberry pie. Dean gave Will a big hug and a cocktail, which helped ease his nerves. They were friends from that moment on.
Dean meant so much to our family, and we will miss him.
Love Alycia and Will
Dear Bill, Linda, Frazier, Haverly and Cassi,
I am so sorry for your loss. Dean was an amazing man with amazing strength. Thank you so much for sharing his strength with us. You are in my prayers and thank you so much for letting us into your lives. Much Love, Felicia
Dear Bill, Linda, Frazier & Haverly,
I am so saddened to hear about the loss of Dean. He was a blessing and spirit of joy to those that knew him. He had a heart full of kindness, and he will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved him.
You are all in our thoughts and prayers.
With Love,
Melissa & Andrew
Overland Park, KS
I am sorry to hear of Dean's passing. Dean was an exceptional man who led many of us in the education world. As a coach, mentor and a risk taker, he had the gift of telling you what you needed to hear in a thoughtful, non-threatening way. I enjoyed his gift of support these past 10 months. His encouragement has been felt by many, and we share the feeling of loss with you.
My sympathies are sent to you, his family as well as a lingering hug of support. I hope you will find joy in the memories of time spent together including these past few days in a vigil at his bedside.
My love to all of you,
Claire
Dear Dean's Family,
The family has lost a beloved member. The world has lost a truly wonderful person. We all are blessed to have had Dean Damon touch our lives. He will be greatly missed. Memories are wonderful and as the pain of Dean's passing fades the vivid memories of times with Dean will stay with us accompanied by many smiles of joy.
We share in your pain and rejoyce in the rememberance of Dean.
John, Barbara, Chris & Melissa
Dear Bill, Linda, Haverly, Frazier and Cassi and kids and extended family --
Dean indeed was a hero !! A wonderful example to all who came into contact with him. His intelligence, his wit, his caring and compassion for others, and his love for all of you and all his friends was remarkable and enviable.
Dean "fought the good fight" and now being at peace is his reward !!
Please know that all of your friends will have you and Dean in our prayers.
With Love, John Coxhead and Ron Douglas
We will be thinking and praying for strength for your family.
I was privileged to work with Dean during the years he counseled Corpus Christi ISD. I always admired his ability to listen to the heart of the matter at hand and to use his gentleness and wisdom to help you see things more clearly. We shared many memorable meals together over the years. It was my honor to break bread with him and to share in a small piece of his life in those meandering conversations. My deepest sympathies are with you all and with those of us who respected him so much. He will be deeply missed.
- Carol Scott
Dear All:
I woke last nite at 11:30 pm (Denver time), wondering how he was doing...
Dean truly has blessed and will continue to bless my life. His huge smile remains in the forefront of my mind. I'm sorry he was hurting over the last month/weeks and am thankful he is now at peace and able to know how much we all love him!
I will continue to check this site for news about his celebration of life service! My love and support I give to each of you. Thank you so much for all you have done for us---the readers of this site.
Judy (Anderson) Doms
Dear Bill, Linda, Frazier, Haverly and Cassis,
Certainly a "hero's journey"! Dean always did things with class and style and his death shows those same characteristics. He was an outstanding father, friend and educator but more than that a wonderful person who will be truly missed! Dean was always bringing people together to better human kind and this is another example.
We know that you had to make many tough decisions along this journey and were kind enough to share the ups and downs as you traveled. We thank you so much for allowing us to be a part. We are glad to know that Dean is no longer in pain and that he has gone to a more peaceful place.
Our thoughts with everyone as you all sort though this experience and support each other. We all know that you have terrific support among yourselves but also know that many of us are here to help and share in the months ahead. We all have such wonderful memories of Dean over the years, that we will fill hours and months ahead, we will stay in touch though the blog until that time.
End the end of our journey what we leave behind for people are the footprints we have made along the way. Both Dean and all of you have left many footprints in our hearts and minds!
Love, Kay and Andy Shaw
The comments clearly show that we just lost a great human being who provided so much support, love, leadership and inspiration to us all.
Our heart goes out to all the Damon family---which of course in Dean's view would be family and friends along with a few enemies!
He will be missed in so many ways!
Mike and Joan Martin
Dear Linda, Bill, Frazier, Haverly, and family,
Thank you for posting the sad news that Dean has passed away. It is a comfort to know that he is at rest and no longer suffering. It is also a comfort to know that you may rest and recall all of the many wonderful features of life that Dean shared with all of us.
Dean shared so much with my family in the 1960s after UH and during his time at UD. He holds a special place in our hearts and is truly a brother and friend for us.
David and I are remembering you these days and wish you peace and comfort.
Dan McGuire and David Mancini-Conway in Naperville, Illinois
Dearest Linda, Bill, Haverly, Cassie and Frazier,
We are so saddened by Dean's passing. We've spent the morning remembering Dean and how our lives have been enhanced by his friendship. When one said the name "Dean", all knew who we were talking about. Only very special people acquire the "one name status" in life and Dean was certainly one of those people.
His love of life and people was so infectious. It just made you feel better to be in his company.
You are all in our thoughts and prayers. With all our love, Pat and Sandy McKone
Dear Bill, Linda, Haverly, Frazier, & Cassie,
I am so sorry to hear of Dean's passing. Having been on vacation for a week, I was completely shocked when I arrived to work this morning in the SICU and saw that he was no longer with us. Dean was such a fighter and definitely showed many of us what a strong person can endure. Although, as nurses, we didn't get the opportunity to "talk" with Dean as much as we would have liked, we very much enjoyed chatting with each and every one of you as family. Bill, I really enjoyed hearing your stories about Dean over the months and updates on your new place. It sounds beautiful. Linda and Bill, we still think you should have your pictures on our "family" picture board here at work! :)
May you all find peace and strength in Dean's passing. All of us here in the SICU will be thinking about you often.
Take care,
Stephanie
Peace and Blessings to each of you. As I reflect on the arduous and courageous journey Dean undertook over the past few months, I am reminded of the strength of his character and warmth of his spirit. As true for all of us who are among his community of family and friends, I will miss Dean. Forever, I will carry with me the memories of the kindness he extended toward me when we first met and of the laughter that we shared many time since.
Dean taught me about the power of the weekend sojourn: deciding mid-week to spend the weekend in some other part of the world and then going there. I've always saved my overseas journeys for vacation when I could spend more time exploring. Dean offered another possibility for seeing the world.I loved hearing of his brief jaunts. He shared all of the mechanics of making the most of this type of trip, down to what to tell the taxi driver when I arrive on new terrain. So, at some point in the near future, when I'm off on a weekend trip to some far away land I'll remember the wise counsel of my friend.
Haverly, there was scarcely a time that we sat down to chat that your Dad didn't mention his little girl. He loved telling the story of the spa outing he sponsored for you and your friends. He was so happy that you'd landed a position in Chicago, because that's what you wanted. He shared how much he looked forward to being able to visit with you. He was definitely on Dad duty:-).
May Dean's magnanimity and his abiding love for each of you be a source of comfort, strength and guidance as you honor his legacy.
Angela Kenyatta
Chicago
It has rained almost without pause in Seattle for the two days since Dean left us. I struggled with what to add to this beautiful tribute, but found that imagery poetic in how it matched our emotions. Finally, the sun is again coming out.
As an unforseen benefit over the past four months, we have come to know Bill, Linda, Haverly, Frazier, and the other family members, at least a little. We are grateful for how you have supported our dear friend Dean in person, as we have tried to do from afar. Know that Dean lives on in dozens of educators here with whom he has shared his wisdom and support, and the literally thousands of students who will benefit. I am certain he would be pleased with this.
Alan Spicciati
Highline S.D., Seattle
Dear Damon family,
I was greatly sorrowed to hear of Dean's passing. As aformer student and current employee of BVSD as well as having marched with Frazier at BHS I feel that I knew your family and DEan as a wonderful man. He will be missed by all whose lives were touched by him, no matter how small or big. Bless you all,
Megan McQuown (BHS class of '91)
Post a Comment