`Wilson, dad, pops, Willie or Hero, daddy had many names but deep inside he was the same warm hearted man who raised a family of six in difficult times with a supportive wife who loved him for who he was good and bad faults the whole kitten kaboodle.

So much to say and so little time to say it. I'm no writer but I'll definitely try and give you a glimpse into his brief but interesting life.

Not sure where to start but we moved here 45 years ago for a better life. It was dad's decision. We owned a small grocery and liquor store in the bad part of town. I'm not kidding when I say bad, we were constantly being held up by robbers 3 to 5 times a year, how we managed to survive is nothing short of a Miracle.

During those many robberies, dad got gun butted, my sister got grazed by a bullet in her hand, during one of 2 ambush robbery attempts, dad got shot in the hand and the other I got stabbed in the leg as I watched in horror the gunman holding a large kitchen knife to my mother's throat. Dad convinced the thieves to step away from the car for a minute during the ambush so as to not raise suspicion a robbery was in place, their car and ours were parked side by side on this narrow road in from of our home, when they backed off dad took off like a lightning bolt down the road, long story short he saved mom's life and mine.

That was only one of the many instances that dad risked life and limb for his family. I got so afraid of driving home with them as I was in both ambush attempts, I told them I was taking the bus home from there on. With all this in mind dad made one of the most difficult decision in his life. To move his family to another country and give up his thriving business for their own safety. I will never forget the day. He called us together and announced his decision. His words were.... We are going to move to Miami and give up the business before one of us gets Killed. His family meant a lot more to him and all the money in the world. I was a bit scared of the move since I was born in Kingston and all my friends were there. That was my home. Nevertheless when I think back on one of the robberies one where the thief kicked down the door to the cashier and held me at gunpoint, I stared down the barrel of the gun 12 inches from my forehead as he counted down my life... "Tell me where the money is or I'm going to kill you 10, 9, 8, 7... by the time he hit 4 I closed my eyes and said God I'm coming home. He hit 1 and I was still alive.

I opened my eyes looked at him and he said "Get on the ground!" He laid the cash register on top of me grab the little cash there and took off. My younger brother had just left minutes earlier to take the money to deposit to the bank.

During that time they were killing people if they didn't get money. God had bigger plans for me and our family. It was not our time.

I'm getting off track, this story is NOT about me but I'm giving you a brief synopsis how we ended up in Miami. Dad loved his family and did everything in his power to make sure we had the best chance of success in life. He send the youngest son to Air Conditioning school to learn a trade in Miami, I went to Art School in Jamaica so I had a trade outside a grocery store. My older brother and sister found other areas to pursue.

We all lived together when we came to this country. Time passed all my siblings got married and moved out of the house and started their own families. I was the only one that didn't marry and move away. God had a plan all this time. It never crossed out minds someone had to stay back and take care of mom and dad when they got old. I worked for several printing companies and helped take care of them for many years. It's amazing how time flies. Been saying that to many people but they aren't listening.

Covid came and companies started laying off people, my company laid off half the staff including me, after 20 years of dedicated service. By then mom and dad was in their 90's I gave it much thought and decided both my parents could not be left alone for 8hours at a time, they were having health issues, mom developed dementia which was rough for her and a huge challenge for me. Having someone ask you the same question 10 times in 10 minutes was mind altering. I found myself screaming at her but realized it wasn't her fault it was the disease but that didn't make it any easier. I eventually got to develop the skills to cope with this disease that could drive her or me or both mad. Dad stood by her side doing everything he could to help. He would say take it easy on your mom. It killed him to see the one who he loved going through this terrible ordeal.

I was told not to discuss the topic of Caregiving, but how can I not? Of the many difficult jobs I've had in my life I will have to tell you Caregiving has been the Most Difficult!!! Ask any Caregiver and they will tell you. Sadly the rest of the world who has NEVER been a Caregiver are totally CLUELESS! And I mean that, not in a nasty way but factual. I was once asked... "What do you do all day?" People's impression of caregivers are sad they think we sit and watch tv all day and scratch our asses. So far from the truth. My friend tells me I'm on vacation because I don't have to go to work. Well he goes to work but gets to punch out after 8 hours I NEVER get to punch out I'm on the clock 24/7. Other caregivers were warning me about Caregiver burnout. Where you can literally lose your mind from mental and physical stress you have to endure and I've been close many times. People ask me how do you do it?? My response, by the Strength and Grace of God. This job done properly is NOT humanly possibly.

Over the years I watched dad hold the family together through one challenge after another. He made friends easy and I have to warn people watch out, when dad gets to know you he'll talk your ear off which he often does. But he just wants to get to know them.

Mom planted a lot of fruit tress in the backyard, including a few Jamaican mangoes, Bombay and East Indian were the favorites. Come mango season they meaning mom and dad would make a list of all the friends and families they would give these mangoes. My parents were generous people they LOVED to help friends and families, I guess that's where I got that from. Dad always made sure his friends got extra mangoes. Sometimes I had to Stop him. You can't give Joe 3 bags of mangoes, what about the rest of people that didn't get any yet? If we have extras then Joe can get more mangoes.

I've lost count the many times we were leaving the house and dad had a bag with him, I would ask what was in the bag and he would say don't worry about it, just stop at John's house or Percy's house. I was some gift or food he saved for them. Always thinking about his friends.

4 months ago mom passed, she was 93. She lived a good life, dad and I made sure of it. We did the best we could to made sure she had all her needs met and was Happy as happy as one can be with Dementia. She was LOVED and that's all that really mattered. I was sad along with dad but relieved when she passed. Mom was not suffering anymore, her last year she was unable to communicate and that made things a lot harder.

After mom's death I was worried about dad, it's common knowledge that when one spouse dies the other dies shortly because of broken heart syndrome. After all they've been married for over 76 years.

Dad delt with it is as best as he could. He would say mom kept me up all night singing. Or when we were heading to his doctors appointment he would say don't forget mom we can't leave her alone in the house. I had to gently remind him mom is no longer with us from time to time. But I never contradicted him. The fact that he was seeing mom in the house meant he was NOT alone so I was OK with that, It somehow gave him comfort.

There are 2 sayings about food. 1) You Eat to Live or 2) You Live to Eat Dad was the latter, that man loved his belly all he talked about was food, When mom's dementia was getting worst and was in the middle of cooking dinner then suddenly forgot what she was doing or how to finish the meal, he would quickly step in and take over. He pretended to now know how to cook for all his live, but loved to tell you how to make a dish. lol.

He took over the cooking for awhile when mom's dementia rendered her unable to cook. Being the responsible husband and father he was. Never complaining one bit. Dad eventually taught me how to cook. For someone who didn't cook for so many years his Stew Peas and Pumpkin soup ran circles around those found at restaurants. I asked him to teach me how to make those dishes because I knew there would come the time where he couldn't cook and I would have to take over those duties.

Dad's health was failing after mom died, his feet swelled up and it was very difficult for him to walk, it literally took us half hour to get from the house to the car. One day recently I told him he has an appointment with his kidney doctor, dad has CKD Chronic Kidney Disease, he was managing it the best he could, I was just happy he did not have to do dialysis. I've heard nightmare stories how people died and how it made them very ill. One of them from my best friend whose mother died after only a year on dialysis.

We got to the car after much grunting and struggling. Dad turned and looked at me when he sat in car and said... "You life is going to be difficult when I die." It was a tough morning for me I was tired mentally and physically and we were later very late. I responded "How so?" I won't have to worry about you getting sick, falling down, take you to doctor's appointments, clean and cook for you, fill your pill box in the middle of the night when I am tired and about to lay down in bed but realize I forgot to fill your pill box. I never understood what he meant by that? And I was responding like a grouch. Not my best moment.

3 months ago, dad got the flu and I had to take him to the hospital, somehow I caught the flu as well and was sick as a dog, I was never one to get sick and if I did my recovery would be quick in just a few days no more than a week. But this flu was different it knocked me down bad, I was hurting, there were days I couldn't lift a sheet of paper. It took me and entire month to shake it. The following 3 weeks were horrible, I began having chest pains, shortness of breath and sharp pains running up my left arm, typical signs of a heart attack. Long story short I went to see a Cardiologist who said "I'm going to do a Catheterization find the blockages, clear them and put in stents." During that procedure he discovered I had 3 severely blocked arteries and he couldn't clear them. I had to do Open Heart Surgery. I was in shock and dismay.

My cardiologist referred me Dr. Joseph Lamelas, one of the best in the country. He did my Open Heart Surgery and told me after I had 5 not 3 blocked arteries. I came home 4 days after the surgery.

Things happened so fast. My best friend and sister stayed with dad the 4 days I was in the hospital. I came home the Monday March 24th. The following night dad fell as I was watching tv in another room, when I heard a scratching noise it was dad scratching on his door and a weary voice calling my name, I got up slowly as I was in so much pain just getting back from my 5 bypass open heart surgery. Every inch of my body ached. I saw him on the floor and immediately called my neighbors who helped pick him up the last time he fell, it was 1am I got their answering machines. I looked at dad and said I gotta call 911. Dad screamed NO! He was always afraid of calling 911 then getting a bill he couldn't pay. I said dad I have no choice! I can't pick you up as I've always done in the past. Don't know how I did it, it was the strength of God.

The paramedics came and took him to Jackson North where he stayed a few days my sister and her husband, my older brother and me and my best friend along with his aide of 3 years were there to support him. Dad was fighting for his life. Friday came and after a few hours of being there, they asked if they could give him another blood pressure medication because his BP was too low. I said yes. Do what you have to do to save him. His BP was 60 and rose up to 90. We all looked at the machine he was connected to reading the numbers and he seems to be making some progress. We were tired so we left for home. Later that night I got a call from the hospital they were gonna take him out the ICU and put him in a Hospice room, since we decided to apply DNR and No ventilators. Being stuck to a machine to keep you alive is NO way for anyone to live. I said NO! How about we give him 2 more days to see how he responds if he gets better great but if he doesn't make any improvement then put him in the hospice room. At 3am a few hours later my phone rang, it was the hospital, "I'm sorry to inform you but your father passed away at 2:33am." I was in shock but not surprised just NUMB. I immediately texted family and close friends and went to bed hoping to wake up and this would all be just a DREAM.

Days later one of my best friend called me, he wanted to come over and check on me, my mother passed 4 months ago, I just had a 5 bypass open heart surgery a week days ago and my beloved father passed 3 days ago. Both him and his 2 wonderful kids came by and spent the afternoon with me, for a few hours I forgot all the pain and sorrow around me, it was getting late and dark and he said we have to go, the kids have school tomorrow, I followed then to the car and we all hugged and said goodbye.

I slowly strolled back into the house, when I got inside I sensed it was awfully quiet, I walked down the hallway and saw a pink and white ball on the floor, I instinctively bent down to pick it up thinking to myself I'd better pick it up so dad doesn't slip and fall on it. Suddenly it dawned on me, my loving dad is no longer here.

Tears started streaming down my face, an extreme sadness came over me. I reflected on the conversation we had. You were right dad. My life is going to be difficult. It hurts so bad and I'm not talking about the scars from my surgery but the reality that you're gone and I won't have you here anymore. No dinners no trips.

I love you dad... and miss you so much! Tell mom I LOVE her!

Dad was a gift and the though of him passing away with NO Service like a stranger in the night doesn't sit well with me. So I am launching this Go Fund Me to pay for his service.

He had too many friends and family that loved him. Please donate no matter big or small. And if you can't please pray for the family. Any help will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

I know a lot of people don't like using Go Fund Me and similar sites.

If you would rather use Zelle or Send a Check please email me for my address and or number.

Zelle is my cell number.