My papa, Johnie Bruce Son Sr, lost a very short battle against oral / throat cancer on April 1, 2016 at 10:55pm.
I know I am supposed to tell you all about my dad here, but I am at a loss for words.
I can tell you that he loved life and loved people. He loved his family, his 4 kids and 13 grandkids. He loved fishing, nature, metal detecting, natural healing, and conspiracy theories.
I can tell you that he was one of the strongest most stubborn people I ever met in my life, and I am proud to call him my papa.
I spoke those words to him hours before he passed as I wrestled with him. He fought death to the very end. Fighting to get around the house even when his legs couldn't carry him.
He fought to communicate when he couldn't speak and to make me understand that he needed to talk to his family and tell them he loved them before death took him.
I am grateful and feel blessed that I had the honor of making sure he knew he was loved and safe with family where he belonged in his final weeks.
This memorial website was created as a place to honor his life and mourn together.
Please join us. Share memories, stories, photo's and emotions. Help us document his life. He touched so many people throughout his life, and I want to memorialize it all!
Thank you for visiting ♡
In 1992 John suffered a cerebral Hemorrhage. Ninety percent of people who suffer from this pass away. Most who survive live with severe disabilities. John had to have a craniotomy to remove the destroyed piece of his brain.
He struggled long and hard to learn how to do everything from eating to walking and talking all over again. It was a long grueling battle , and he suffered from brain damage, personality changes, impulse control struggles, and a seizure disorder as a result.
Johns siblings Ruby and Gene traveled from Arkansas to aid in his recovery.
He was sent to the emergency room at St John Hospital in Madison Heights, on December 30, 2019 at 3am suffering from severe pain in his throat and neck.
He was intubated for 10 days, during which he was diagnosed with terminal throat cancer and transfered to Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.
From there he was sent to Adavantage Living Nursing home in Warren, Mi.
In March of 2019 he was brought home to receive hospice care in the home of his daughter, Tonya', where he stayed until he passed away April 1, 2019.
It is heart breaking and wrong that these are sitting here and not out adventuring with my papa. It still seems unreal. My brain literally doesnt want to believe that he's not sitting on the side of a bed watching youtube somewhere. Even the idea seems unfathomable.
April 12, 2017
Adam and Papa took Blake fishing at Brandenburg Park and Blake caught his first channel cat!
Link to photo album:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1-GLKPS9kQnVGn0Mv423EWvPceR9f_Ipr
For the first week or so after Papa was extubated, he was very silly and child like. He was oodling over all the nurses and goofing around with us.
This is a very special clip.
January 16, 2019
Henry Ford Hospital Detroit
