Help me put Barry to rest
My father and I had a troubled relationship. He came back from Vietnam with some mental problems and was prone to violence. That many including myself had to suffer. But I always forgave him. It wasn't his fault. What he had to suffer in that war and what became of him. He spent his life working hard and being the best in his field in HVAC mechanics in Pasadena TX. He remarried after many years and gave me my little brother Albert. And went out of his way to give my little brother the life he could never give me.
I spent many years trying to reunite with my dad. And get the part of my life i was missing back. At times I did, But eventually the afflictions he suffered in Vietnam would rear their ugly heads and it would never last ling. Last summer I came to visit. And saw a man unable to care for himself and dire need of medical assistance. What was i supposed to do. I put my own life aside and decided to devote myself full time to helping make his life and his pain a little easier. MY dad had peripheral neuropathy due to agent orange damage in Vietnam. Almost bound to a wheelchair, everything below the waist was broken. Permanently on a catheter. Unable to pass his bowels without manual help. And a severe diabetic. My father lived with alot of pain. Both physically and mentally.
ON 3/14/2021, my dad decided he couldn't take it anymore. Put a gun to his head and took his own life. You cant imagine the shock and horror I felt when i opened the door to check on him and the ghastly sight I endured. Ive seen alot of ugly and terrible things in my life. This was by far the worst. He completely checked out. Leaving us no note and no warning. Or at least no sign that i could see.
Needless to say his suicide has left myself and my stepmother to pick up the pieces. I and currently living off unemployment and stimulus checks while i work my way back into CDL driving. She works hard as a nurse 6 days a week. What Im asking for, is a little help in covering the cost of my dads cremation. Which was his final wish. The VA offers a burial allowance. My father opted not to take part of that program. He had 2 insurance policies set aside for myself and my little brother. Both were negated when he took his own life. He stopped paying his union dues mafter he was forced into retirement because of his neuropathy and emptied his retirement account with the union many years ago. Essentialy leaving us on the hook for his truck that he wasnt done paying off, and the costs that come with putting his body to rest.
Its $4690 to have him cremated. We will be going to The Settegast-Kopf Company @ Sugar Creek to have those services performed. As well as paying for the furlough my little brother needs from jail to come and see his remains and the cremation. Any additional funds collected during this drive will go to the TillValhallaProject. https://tilvalhallaproject.com/pages/about-us
A non profit based around helping suicidal veterans to find meaning in this life, and to think of their loved ones before taking their own lives. If any of you great friends of mine would like to help support our cause. It would be greatly appreciated. It would relieve the burndon from my stepmom, who working hard to find us a new homew and who is taking the blunt end of the financial burden this situation has placed on us. It will also help put my dad to rest. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this. And thank you all for your consideration. May he rest in peace.