Sumner' death

Altough not certain until I check the exact date I believe Pa died on New Year's day 1954. My mom had gone down to Trenton, NJ to visit Pa in the hospital. Pa and Gram were down visiting Vera and Leon when he was taken ill. The story I heard was that he took rolls of TUMS to settle his stomach when in fact he was having a heart attack. I understand that he also tried to get out of bed on his own because he didn't want to bother the nurse and collapsed in the process. I was staying w/ Jack and Shirley in Feeding Hills [I loved their house and the old tobacco barn and what seemed to me to be sand dunes]. At breakfast Jack broke the news that Pa had died and I will never forget that moment. I was 11 and Pa was perhaps the most important involved male figure in my life. After that I recall being outside the Byron Funeral home on State street with my mom and Faith and I was crying and refusing to go in. I finally obeyed and will never forget the sight of Pa in the casket. He was so thin having lost weight during his illness. After that I experienced many nightmares depicting Pa sitting up in the casket. To this day I regret seeing him for the last time that way. I also recall later that year going w/ Ma and Gram to Sears and Roebuck in W. Springfield where Pa had taken his bulova watch for repair. She cried and kept that watch with the loose gold expansion strap on her wrist til the day she died almost 10 years later. As I recall Marg and John gave Pa the watch and perhaps Dave has it now. I don't know, but it was very precious to Gram. I make a point to periodically visit Pa & Gram's grave when in Springfield and wonder, once I go, who else will visit? I suppose it doesn't really matter but in many ways I have never gotten over his death. If anyone deserves to be in Glory, its Pa and I fully believe that he is spending eternity with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for it is written that to be absent from the body is to be present with Lord.