Denise had just left for a week at Camp Woodland Altars on July 1, 1990 – the day before we were notified that Oscar had passed away. Oscar was the second husband of my Grandma Range, having married one another on July 17, 1970, the day before my parents were lawfully united themselves. He had been diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer’s disease, referred to as Sundown Syndrome, a couple of years pror to his passing. This disease struck worse during the evening hours, although as it progressed, he became equally as confused during the day.
Although this disease is not at all funny, it certainly did generate some strange and humorous behavior at which you couldn’t help but laugh at times. I’ll never forget the days when Christi and I would go over to Grandma and Oscar’s house during the Summer of 1989, and I would cut the grass while Christi would entertain Grandma (or sometimes the other way around) and do some chores for her. Oscar never failed to amuse us by exhibiting bizarre behavior. One day Christi went downstairs and Oscar had his hands up the sleeves of a shirt hanging on a line to dry. He told her that he was washing his hands.
Although Grandma and Oscar were obviously married before I was born – hence I knew him as Grandma’s partner all of my life – there was never any sense that anyone was trying to pass him off as my Grandfather. We always simply always referred to him as Oscar. At times crotchety, he had a very soft-spoken, yet stiff, demeanor. He liked peace and quiet. My parents once told me that he didn’t like kids very much, which utterly confused me. My rationale was “he was a kid once himself, so how could he not like them?” I always got the feeling that Grandma and Oscar’s marriage was more of a partnership of convenience – to keep loneliness from creeping into either of their lives – rather than a true love affair.
Nevertheless, we were all fond of Oscar, so it was a stinging blow when he finally succumbed to his illness on July 2, 1990. We notified Denise of his passing while she was at camp and she, wise beyond her 14 years, made the decision that she wanted to come back for the funeral – mostly in support of Grandma – so we picked her up. Christi also attended the funeral with us, which was held on Thursday, July 5 at the Tobias Funeral Home in Belmont. His final resting place, alongside his first wife, is in David’s Cemetery.
I recall with some amusement that I was pleased that Ashleigh had gotten her first mention (since her birth announcement) – so to speak – in the Dayton Daily News. Oscar’s obituary made note that surviving him, among his other family, was one “step-great-grandchild.”
There’s something about this picture I’ve always loved. The early 70’s hotel room, the old 7-Up can…very nostalgic.
1990 will continue…
I loved Oscar and Grandma Range… I always enjoyed visiting with them… xxx ooo
Christi
October 20th, 2009