A picture of Jim from November 2006

Dear friends and family,

A few months ago, Jim asked me to post the final blog entry when the time came, so I’m honoring his request. Jim lost his courageous, nearly 2-year long battle with esophageal cancer on Tuesday, February 10 at about 5:00 in the afternoon. We’d recently returned from a wonderful 10-day Caribbean cruise with his parents, and they had generously turned over their Delray Beach, FL, condo to us for the rest of the winter. We’d realized he was declining more quickly in the last couple of months, but he still talked with optimism about the things we’d see and do while we’re down here and what he had planned once we headed for home around the first of April. Sadly, though, his strength and vitality decreased rapidly, and for the last 3 weeks he’d had to depend on assistive devices to move about the condo.

On Tuesday of last week, Jim’s daughter, Elizabeth, flew here from California to spend 3 days with us. She’s due with our second grandchild at the end of the month, so we were anxious about the trip, but she made it without incident, and they had some valuable time together. On the day Elizabeth flew home, Jim woke up feeling weaker and even more depleted, so we had to contact 911 to transport him to the Delray Hospice House. They stabilized him and checked his esophagus – the esophagus was clear where he’d had the stents emplaced and he seemed to be eating better, but the cancer was running its course, and he was growing more and more weak and incapacitated. Nonetheless, he convinced them to send him back to the condo on Monday evening, and Hospice set him up with a hospital bed. From that point on, his condition deteriorated so quickly that even the Hospice caregivers were astonished. He slept through the night Monday, and by mid-morning Tuesday he’d slipped into a coma. I held him until he drew his last breath, so he was never alone. I believe the dying time their departures carefully – he’d spent quality time with his dear parents; he’d had a good visit with his daughter; and on Sunday he’d called and had loving conversations with his closest family and friends.

Jim was so grateful for all of you and your prayers, loving thoughts, and expressions of concern. He was with us for so long because of his huge heart and his incredible will to live. Ashley is here with me to help with all the details and to provide exactly the love and support I need to get through this impossibly difficult time. We’ll be here for at least another week or so – if you need to contact me for any reason, call my cell phone at (540) 878-6638 or email me at julieseder@gmail.com. (I don’t know how to retrieve comments from the blog site.) The condo address is 200 MacFarland Dr., Apt 1103N, Delray Beach, FL 33483

A few people have asked about funeral arrangements. Jim asked that there be no formal funeral or memorial service. I’ll take his ashes home, and sometime this summer our family will gather to celebrate his life with a cookout by the river – that’s exactly what he would have wanted. Folks have also inquired about donations in his memory. If you’re so inclined, a donation to the Riverside Hospice organization near our home would be lovely tribute. Here’s the link: https://secure.riversideonline.com/n/foundation/make_a_donation.php

One other thing – I’ve also heard from people who want to contact Jim’s parents. Here’s their Williamsburg address:

Art and Marion Seder

3006 The Mall

Williamsburg, VA 23185

Thank you all for what you’ve meant to Jim and me. Jim had a good life and wasn’t afraid to move on. God, I’ll miss him.

With love and gratitude,

Julie