You know how occasionally some old guy will retire and then die within weeks or months of his retirement? Strom Thurmond, for one, did this. Sometimes people assume that without the job to keep them busy some people just lose the will to live, but maybe they're sensing they don't have long to go and retiring in advance so they don't inconvenience anyone.
December 31, 1996. My grandfather, who repaired hospital blood lab equipment such as centrifuges and microscopes told his customers he was shutting down.
January 17, 1997. My grandfather was tying twine around a box holding a microscope for Kansas University Medical Center. It was the final item on his backlog from 1996. His heart stopped, and he fell over dead onto his shop floor, doing what he loved doing most.
RIP, Grandpa. I still miss you, and I'm forever thankful that you passed to me your insatiable curiosity, knack for mechanical synergy and desire for unfaltering ethics.
Not sure Strom's a good example. He was over 100 years old when he died. I saw him in person a couple of times from the Senate gallery and I don't think he was actually there for his last term or so.
