One of my two younger brothers, Dennis, age 69, died today from Covid19. He was found non-responsive yesterday morning and was transported to a nearby hospital where he died shortly after noon today. He never regained consciousness in the hospital. Two of his three daughters were with him when he died.

Dennis had co-morbid conditions: His age, he was a bit overweight and he’d had a stroke in 2004 that left him right-side paralyzed and mostly unable to verbally articulate (congenital afib). But what killed him was his fervent right-wingnutism and religious fundamentalism. No vaccinations for him or his six children, at least those he could avoid because he adopted five of them, all from one family in Costa Rica, who most likely had to be vaccinated before emigrating. I’m certain he refused to go to the hospital when he first became ill early this week.

I had not seen him nor spoken with him in over two years. His wife hated his siblings because we forced an outside guardianship on him. She had placed him in a facility a handful of years ago for people with Alzheimer’s, refused to let him leave for any reason whatsoever; no outside visits to a store, his children’s’ homes, a restaurant, etc. but we successfully fought to get him out. He lived out his last years in his home although it was not exactly where he wanted to be, having expressed a desire to live elsewhere but his court-appointed guardian couldn’t find a place he preferred. At least it was home.

Dennis was a moderately successful businessman whose company was sold a decade after he had his stroke (he had two equal partners who mostly drained the corporation) and his net proceeds before taxes were in excess of $5M. He never got to enjoy any of his money doing what he wanted as his wife had placed it into a trust for herself. His guardian and conservator could access it for his basic needs but had a fiduciary responsibility to conserve it for as long as possible. His guardian made it prohibitive for his siblings and our father to fund some of his desires to travel (we would have had to fully fund three aides, paid 24/7, to travel with him; a whole ‘nother story.)

My fondest memory was the year we both were on the same cross country and track teams in high school. I was a senior and he was a sophomore. We both ran the same primary event in track - the mile run. He always beat me and still has one of the all-time top ten times in our state for a tenth grader when he ran a 4:19.5 mile for fifth place in the single-class state track meet in 1968. He graduated from high school early in the middle of his junior year with an ‘A’ average. He had already been recruited for his athletic ability to numerous Division One schools but chose not to go to college, rather he enrolled in a vocational-technical school to become an electrician.

He never became an electrician but instead used his training to open an electric motor repair business. That was soon transformed into the aforementioned successful hazmat corporation disposing of PCB waste from transformer disposal. He followed that up with a worldwide business selling his patented designs of machines to extract mercury from swapped out lamps (mercury vapor bulbs, etc.) He also designed and sold a unique machine to extract the mercury from his original machines’ carbon beds. His stroke forced the liquidation of his last two businesses.

During this time he had one biologic son and after a few years adopted his five other children. His biologic son, who, along with his wife and child lived in the same house as my brother, is now seriously ill with the virus. He is 35 and overweight. I assume he is self medicating with horse paste and antimalarial medicine thanks to his upbringing by my brother.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I’m sorry for your loss.

What a sad story.
So sorry for your loss.

---

Roswell, GA (Atlanta suburb)

Wow

---

Very sorry, I hope you keep all of these good memories and more of him. And perhaps write them down so your descendants know a bit about him. Condolences.

I've mentioned I've having trouble feeling sympathy for the un-vaxxed, but you had nothing to do with his decisions (I hope), nor his family.

So my deepest condolences for those so senselessly left behind.

---

San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


"All that is required for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
“Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." - Eli Weisel

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public." - Theodore Roosevelt (1918)

"I don’t want to see religious bigotry in any form. It would disturb me if there was a wedding between the religious fundamentalists and the political right. The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it." - Billy Graham 1981

"Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise" - Barry Goldwater

R.I.P.

So sorry for your loss.

---

Mr. Lahey: A lot of people, don’t know how to drink. They drink against the grain of the liquor. And when you drink against the grain of the liquor? You lose.

Randy: What the @#$%& are you talking about?

Quote
Rolando
I've mentioned I've having trouble feeling sympathy for the un-vaxxed, but you had nothing to do with his decisions (I hope), nor his family.

So my deepest condolences for those so senselessly left behind.

My two other siblings track closely to my brother’s politics, as do their children. My father and I as well as my children are liberal progressives.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Yet another victim of political manipulation. My condolences to you and your family for your loss.

I'm very sorry to hear that. It's too easy to get jaded about covid deaths - reading your brother's story reminds me that each death is deeply personal.

---

e pluribus unum

I never know what to say in instances like this that hasn't already been said.
I am sad for your loss.
I hope other friends and family are not affected by this horrible virus.

Dave

---

Welcome to Dave's BBQ!

Many have eaten here....

Few have died

Sorry for your loss. Sounds like you did what you could for him.

---

Ways to improve web conference image and sound quality. [forums.macresource.com]

I feel sorry for your loss, but I can't say that I feel sorry for him.

So sorry for your loss.

It's probably a long shot, but I wonder if any of the diehard "I refuse to get vaxxed" folks would be swayed by one of their own telling their story:

[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

So sorry for your loss and your family.

Quote
PeterB
So sorry for your loss.

It's probably a long shot, but I wonder if any of the diehard "I refuse to get vaxxed" folks would be swayed by one of their own telling their story:

[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]

PeterB, thank you, but antivaxxers are a cult. All the facts in the world rarely change their minds. In my extended family, the videos you provide would be termed ‘fake news.’

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Sorry to hear about this Speedy.

Peace.

Quote
Speedy

Quote
PeterB
So sorry for your loss.

It's probably a long shot, but I wonder if any of the diehard "I refuse to get vaxxed" folks would be swayed by one of their own telling their story:

[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]
[www.youtube.com]

PeterB, thank you, but antivaxxers are a cult. All the facts in the world rarely change their minds. In my extended family, the videos you provide would be termed ‘fake news.’

Yep, I figured as much. As with most cults, it does come down to deprogramming (if possible), and sometimes interventions are necessary.

---

Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Such a sad story. My condolences to you and all his family.

My condolences Speedy. It's hard to know what to think and difficult to sympathize with those who bring disease and death upon themselves. However, we should feel sympathy for them at least because they have been manipulated into deadly behaviors by immoral actors.

---

"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

Very sorry for your loss, Speedy. May your brother rest in peace.

---

It is what it is.

Thank you for sharing your story, Speedy. The knowledge of loss has “merit” for lack of a better word, not because someone is gone but because experiences need articulation. And I value that.

So sorry for your loss. You know my feelings on anti vax. It doesn’t quell the sorrow,however, when you lose a relative.

Condolences on your loss.

Thank all of you for your kind words.

---

Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

This is so sad in many ways. I am sorry for your loss.