Help The Blumenkranz Family

Hi I'm Josh Blumenkranz and my father Steven Blumenkranz has passed away. Let me give you some insight into who he was.

 

 

 

My father was always so full of energy throughout my childhood. He had the biggest love for music specifically country music. He loved Elvis so much so he made his hair look like his. Stevie Blue, that was his nickname or "Elvis." He enjoyed singing and even wanted to be a songwriter. His big hit songs were Natural Thing, and A Boy Like Me. I remember going to the studio while he recorded them eating McDonald’s, it was a blast. Steven was a supportive father to me when he and my mother divorced. He took to me to the movies a lot. I saw Pocahontas which was one of the first movies I've seen with him. When I was a kid I told him I loved the Santa Clause and he got me a bootleg of it on videotape. During my junior high years I decided to live with him due to arguments with my mother. Even though he wasn't good at planning for the future, his number one goal was to make me happy. He bought me tickets for the Jingle Ball concert when my Mom didn't want me to go. I remember playing a Pokemon tournament and losing in the end. My dad bribed the judges to give me a winning chip as well because I was so sad that I lost. After moving in with him I kept going to junior high and high school. At this point I was living in New York but my school was in New Jersey. He hired his Russian friend Mikail to drive me back and forth from New York To New Jersey just so I could still go to school there and be with my friends. When the police and principal of the school found out and said I couldn't go to school there because I didn't live in Nutley anymore, he eventually bought a house so I could still go. I got to finish school in Nutley New Jersey because my dad knew it would make me happy. He even came to the graduation.

 

 

 

When I got evicted from my apartment, due to my father not paying the bill, he had us stay in a hotel(good ol Embassy Suites) until my student loans came through for me to get my own apartment and to buy me time to find a job. This is the kind of man my father was. Terrible planning for the future, motivated me to work hard not to end up like him, but wanting me to be happy in the moment because he was happy to be my dad. He also came to my recital and I made him cry singing for him. It was awesome. And I remember the last movie I saw with him was Ex Machina. We’ve had a lot of fun times together.

 

Fast forward to me living in Los Angeles and him and his health starting to change. My dad has smoked pot all his life which has lead to him not making great decisions. Mainly his diet. He has always eaten junk food, sweets, etc as long as I've known him. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after I graduated college. A condition that a lot of Americans get but manageable. Fast forward again to me almost turning 30 and him having problems in his leg. in 2019 he got part of his foot removed to help his condition. A drastic move that had to be done to keep his health up. My father did his best with the diabetes management but it only got worse. I saw him in 2019 and was in good spirits trying to keep his energy up and still cooking me great steaks.

 

 

 

In 2020 a year that we all dealt with Covid-19 and the worst year of our lives. My father had to have is leg amputated during that time. A difficult move and I couldn't even visit him because there were no vaccines and the risk was too high. He was hoping to get a prosthetic leg to help him walk and get his health on track. He was living with my uncle for at least a decade after I left for Los Angeles. My Uncle would always fight with him verbally. My dad would get spit on by strangers in the street in New York because his leg was gone. He was hoping to get a place of his own, get healthy, and make his dreams come true. I'm sad to say that didn't happen.

 

2021 I get the call from my Uncle(who didn't have my number) that my father passed away. He died of a heart attack due to diabetes. The funeral being less than 24 hours notice. I couldn't make it in time due to being out of town. My Uncle couldn't hold him at a morgue, he made all the decisions. I never got a chance to figure out a plan or decide anything. I was robbed of that chance to say goodbye.

 

So here I am as I write this in New York. I went to my father's grave and I paid my respects. Feeling guilt and sadness that I couldn't say goodbye. Wishing he could have turned his life around with his health. Me thinking he died alone and I wasn't there. Regretting our last conversation wasn’t anything but a simple hi how are you, good, ok so call me later bye. We had our differences over the phone and our arguments but he was still my dad. I wish I could have changed things. I hope he knew that I loved him because I did and still do always. And now I'm doing the one thing that I have always have a struggle doing. I'm asking for help. My family has been left with the financial burden of this tragedy. My Uncle is on disability, my mother can't do it, that leaves me. However, I can't do it alone. The expenses would be used to cover the funeral, burial and most importantly the hedgestone. Currently my father doesn't have a hedgestone. The cemetery won't let us get one until the bill is paid in full. Some people may think it's a superficial thing, but I feel like its symbolic because it highlights your name. I need your help. I need to get this done as soon as possible. He doesn't deserve to be buried with this.

 

 

If you feel compelled or moved please donate. Anything is much appreciated. Or even you shared this, it would mean the world to me. I need closure and a monument dedicated to him. Something that me, and his friends/family can visit. I loved my father and always will. I’ve listed where he is if you want to visit and pay your respects. Thank You for your time.

 

 Love his son Josh Blumenkranz.