Carl the Cook - Tragic Stroke
Donation protected
Sometime in the early morning hour of 5 or 6am Dad wakes up to prepare for the day. He makes a small pot of coffee for him and his wife of over 50 years. He’ll let the dog out while the coffee brews and gets a hard look at the weather in the process. He reads the paper over his cup of coffee while waiting for mom to wake up a couple hours later, they’re in their 80s now, so she sleeps in a bit later than in years past. After a shave and shower, come rain or shine, hail, sleet or snow, they depart for the same restaurant they've been eating breakfast at every single day (Monday – Friday) for the last 20 years. At the restaurant, they are regulars to say the least. Same booth, same time, same order, which they never have to give because the cook behind the counter, their son, knows exactly what it will be. This is not a story about Mom and Dad, but about Carl, Mom and Dad’s son.
You see, on the morning of Wednesday January 30th, 2019, Mom and Dad never made it to breakfast, their routine was completely derailed. On that day, like so many others that came before it, as Carl prepared himself for work in the 4 o’clock hour, Carl called out to his wife to come to his aide, as he began to suffer from a medical emergency. She called 911 and stayed by his side. One of the last few things he uttered to his wife was, “I am going to lose my job", before falling unconscious.
In tears, his wife Karen of 8 years, watched as he was whisked away by ambulance to the nearest local hospital, not knowing what lied ahead for her husband or what the exact problem was: Karen, Mom, Dad, and some of Carl’s brothers, sisters, and other relatives rushed to the hospital to be by his side. Upon assessment, the hospital determined it was best to send Carl by ambulance to a cutting-edge academic hospital, The University of Vermont Medical Center (formerly Fletcher Allen) in the adjacent state. The ride from CVPH Hospital in Plattsburgh, New York to UVM in Burlington, Vermont is about 1 hour 30 minutes under ideal conditions. On that Wednesday, in the frigid icy temperatures of January in the North Country, it would be a rough ambulance ride across Lake Champlain by all accounts.
My brother Carl died that Wednesday morning in the ambulance.
But, by the grace of God and the relentless work of the ambulance team, Carl was resuscitated, brought back to life, brought back to us. Upon arrival and after receiving treatment for severe hemorrhaging in his brain, the news for Carl and our family is devastating, he suffered a massive stroke. The medical team brings news that our beloved cook: brother, son, husband, father, grandpa, uncle, and friend now lie in a paralyzed state, comatose, and that he will likely never again be able to sustain himself without the need for full medical life support. This heart wrenching feeling is overwhelming.
Breakfast, especially for Mom and Dad, may never be the same at the iconic Gus’ Red Hots Restaurant founded in 1951 (located on the North end of Plattsburgh, NY) where Carl has worked for 37 years, 7 days a week, 6am - 2pm, since the young age of 23. Chances are if you’ve ever stopped in for breakfast or for the world-famous Michigan’s along the way in your travels, maybe to catch the ferry or plane to another city, state or country, Carl was most likely the man to thank for preparing your hearty meal. He's been a fixture behind the grill at Gus’s for decades and he always took a second to raise his head to greet the customers entering through the doors no matter how busy things got.
A year ago, he and his wife Karen bought a house in AuSable Forks, NY, which made Carl’s daily commute over an hour round trip, yet, he remained devoted to the place he had worked and loved so much for his entire adult life. After all, for five days a week he was just making breakfast for Mom and Dad, while energizing so many countless other family, friends, and patrons from near and far that have graced the restaurant over the course of his 37-year career. It takes a special man, of great loyalty, to devote himself to a single place for life, but he did it with pride and it comes as no surprise that one of the last few things he mentioned that fateful Wednesday morning, was a hint of worry about losing his job.
Carl’s character and presence in the kitchen and with his family is being missed tremendously these days. His devotion and loyalty to his family is no different than that of his work. He is a shirt-off-his-back kind of a man to all who know him. Carl was planning on retiring in the coming years so that he and his wife could spend more time enjoying their newly purchased home, maybe even taking a vacation somewhere sunny. Looking to make some meals together, share a laugh, sharing the love, enjoying his kids/grandkids and now, those plans have all but been erased. Maybe gone forever. But as we suffer, we pray, and we hope…and we ask for your love, support and understanding, in this extremely hard time.
He attended Plattsburgh City School District acquiring his GED and then enlisted in the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army, where he served his country for almost 3 years. He is a big NFL football fan, loyal to the Buffalo Bills and a fan of Nascar racing. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing in his spare time. He could even be found working another grill or roasting a pig at family events and parties in the Plattsburgh vicinity and beyond. Although, many have tried over the years, he never once revealed the famous recipe of Gus’s Michigan sauce which he knew by heart. You could have twisted his arm or bribed him, and it wouldn’t have mattered a bit, he wouldn't have budged. Loyal, honest, hardworking, devoted, characteristics of another time, characteristics Carl exemplified daily.
We ask, out of the kindness of your heart, to help donate and share Carl’s story with your friends or family in this time of need. As we weigh the heavy decision of this predicament and while Carl lay on life support, we ask for your prayers as well. He is truly in God’s hands as we pray for an answer and listen to God’s will on his behalf. All money will be collectively managed by the family and directed in the best interest of Carl and his wife.
Breakfast for Mom and Dad will never be quite the same again without him in the kitchen.
Carl our hearts ache and we're all praying for you.
Love – Your Brother Clayton Scott & Family
You see, on the morning of Wednesday January 30th, 2019, Mom and Dad never made it to breakfast, their routine was completely derailed. On that day, like so many others that came before it, as Carl prepared himself for work in the 4 o’clock hour, Carl called out to his wife to come to his aide, as he began to suffer from a medical emergency. She called 911 and stayed by his side. One of the last few things he uttered to his wife was, “I am going to lose my job", before falling unconscious.
In tears, his wife Karen of 8 years, watched as he was whisked away by ambulance to the nearest local hospital, not knowing what lied ahead for her husband or what the exact problem was: Karen, Mom, Dad, and some of Carl’s brothers, sisters, and other relatives rushed to the hospital to be by his side. Upon assessment, the hospital determined it was best to send Carl by ambulance to a cutting-edge academic hospital, The University of Vermont Medical Center (formerly Fletcher Allen) in the adjacent state. The ride from CVPH Hospital in Plattsburgh, New York to UVM in Burlington, Vermont is about 1 hour 30 minutes under ideal conditions. On that Wednesday, in the frigid icy temperatures of January in the North Country, it would be a rough ambulance ride across Lake Champlain by all accounts.
My brother Carl died that Wednesday morning in the ambulance.
But, by the grace of God and the relentless work of the ambulance team, Carl was resuscitated, brought back to life, brought back to us. Upon arrival and after receiving treatment for severe hemorrhaging in his brain, the news for Carl and our family is devastating, he suffered a massive stroke. The medical team brings news that our beloved cook: brother, son, husband, father, grandpa, uncle, and friend now lie in a paralyzed state, comatose, and that he will likely never again be able to sustain himself without the need for full medical life support. This heart wrenching feeling is overwhelming.
Breakfast, especially for Mom and Dad, may never be the same at the iconic Gus’ Red Hots Restaurant founded in 1951 (located on the North end of Plattsburgh, NY) where Carl has worked for 37 years, 7 days a week, 6am - 2pm, since the young age of 23. Chances are if you’ve ever stopped in for breakfast or for the world-famous Michigan’s along the way in your travels, maybe to catch the ferry or plane to another city, state or country, Carl was most likely the man to thank for preparing your hearty meal. He's been a fixture behind the grill at Gus’s for decades and he always took a second to raise his head to greet the customers entering through the doors no matter how busy things got.
A year ago, he and his wife Karen bought a house in AuSable Forks, NY, which made Carl’s daily commute over an hour round trip, yet, he remained devoted to the place he had worked and loved so much for his entire adult life. After all, for five days a week he was just making breakfast for Mom and Dad, while energizing so many countless other family, friends, and patrons from near and far that have graced the restaurant over the course of his 37-year career. It takes a special man, of great loyalty, to devote himself to a single place for life, but he did it with pride and it comes as no surprise that one of the last few things he mentioned that fateful Wednesday morning, was a hint of worry about losing his job.
Carl’s character and presence in the kitchen and with his family is being missed tremendously these days. His devotion and loyalty to his family is no different than that of his work. He is a shirt-off-his-back kind of a man to all who know him. Carl was planning on retiring in the coming years so that he and his wife could spend more time enjoying their newly purchased home, maybe even taking a vacation somewhere sunny. Looking to make some meals together, share a laugh, sharing the love, enjoying his kids/grandkids and now, those plans have all but been erased. Maybe gone forever. But as we suffer, we pray, and we hope…and we ask for your love, support and understanding, in this extremely hard time.
He attended Plattsburgh City School District acquiring his GED and then enlisted in the 101st Airborne Division in the United States Army, where he served his country for almost 3 years. He is a big NFL football fan, loyal to the Buffalo Bills and a fan of Nascar racing. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing in his spare time. He could even be found working another grill or roasting a pig at family events and parties in the Plattsburgh vicinity and beyond. Although, many have tried over the years, he never once revealed the famous recipe of Gus’s Michigan sauce which he knew by heart. You could have twisted his arm or bribed him, and it wouldn’t have mattered a bit, he wouldn't have budged. Loyal, honest, hardworking, devoted, characteristics of another time, characteristics Carl exemplified daily.
We ask, out of the kindness of your heart, to help donate and share Carl’s story with your friends or family in this time of need. As we weigh the heavy decision of this predicament and while Carl lay on life support, we ask for your prayers as well. He is truly in God’s hands as we pray for an answer and listen to God’s will on his behalf. All money will be collectively managed by the family and directed in the best interest of Carl and his wife.
Breakfast for Mom and Dad will never be quite the same again without him in the kitchen.
Carl our hearts ache and we're all praying for you.
Love – Your Brother Clayton Scott & Family
Organizer
Clayton Provost
Organizer
Plattsburgh, NY
