February 17, 1946- September 24, 2008
Bob battled colon-rectal cancer for over 3 years. He and I battled with his other illnesses and traumatic events throughout our lives, but in the end this disease brought us very close together. I chose this design because Bob loved photographs. He also loved his jeans which he could no longer wear the last year or two. The denim is cut from his old jeans. The crookedness and imperfections are because we as humans are not perfect.
Throughout his battle with cancer, we lived "one day at a time," which we both learned through his involvement with AA. Each poor prognosis he received brought us closer together and we held on to God, Hope, and the quote from Emily Dickinson.
I love this picture because Bob is holding onto my hands as though he were losing his grasp on life and needed to hold on… this was our last Christmas… 2007.
Bob always wanted to be an organ donor, but because of his cancer we thought he would not be able to. The day Bob passed away someone from the Northeast Pennsylvania Lions Eye Bank approached me and said that he would be able to donate his corneas because they do not have a blood supply. I was so happy for Bob that he got his wish to give a better life to someone else. Bob has helped me to realize that I need to be an organ donor also. Since that day I have been passing on the word that you can be an organ donor… check into it!
Bob loved and was all about his family, his daughter, Shannon, his son-in law, Carl, and his new grandson, CJ. He never got to see his second grandson, Logan Robert, who favors him as a baby. He also cherished his brothers and sisters, visiting them regularly and relishing any time that he was able to share with the,. He was predeceased by our son Thomas who he loved and missed dearly.
It gives me much joy to know that I could help him fulfill his wish and that he lives on in other peoples' eyes.
Submitted by Bob's loving wife Kathy Schaffer