Dad passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday at 11:35 am. I want to share some intimate details of his last 48 hours with you. I was able to make it in on Wednesday morning and talk with him before he went to sleep. When I got off the elevator and entered the long hallway leading to his room I was greeted by a sea of his friends. The crowd parted for me and I entered the room. My dad saw me and said, "there's Shane, Dear God thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me see my family one more time." I hugged him. The Hospice Chaplain shared with me that in her 10 years working there, she "had never seen anyone more loved than this man."
My dad's last 24 hours were spent with his family and friends surrounding his bedside. We recalled stories of my dad from childhood, when my sister and I were growing up, his career, etc. Dad would wake up occasionally and tell us that he could see his angels, and that he wouldn't hurt anymore. He shouted with all his might "I love my God, you have always been here for me, I am coming home, I am home...please let somebody here take this experience and use this to help them." Any time someone would walk into the room, he would shout their name say something about them and tell them he loved them. "There is my Beautiful Mother-in-law, you were always so good to me and you made the best cornbread, I love you." When asked if he could see heaven, dad replied, "Yes, it is more beautiful than anyone could ever imagine. Dad went to sleep around 11:00 am on Thursday morning and didn't wake up again. In his final moments with his family around his bedside, he tried to lift up his head, he moved his mouth and tried to say he loved us, but could not make any sound. We told him that we knew he loved us and that we loved him and that he didn't need to say anything. A tear ran down his cheek, and he was gone.
In his last few weeks, dad participated in a research study with Vanderbilt hospital, to help determine the cause of this type of Brain Tumor. Not a lot of information is known at this time about the causes of this aggressive disease. In leu of sending flowers, please make a donation to help fund this research, see details at the end of this entry.
Here is an excerpt from his obituary that provides details about the funeral services:
His remains rest at the Ligon & Bobo Funeral Home, 241 West Main Street, Lebanon, where the family will receive friends on Saturday from 4-8 PM and Sunday from 12 Noon until 8 PM. Funeral services will be 3 PM Monday, March 10, 2008, at the West Hills Baptist Church with Rev. Brad Brandon, Shane Woodall and Mike Cawthon officiating. Interment will follow in the Wilson County Memorial Gardens. The family will also receive friends on Monday from 1 PM until service time at the West Hills Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife of thirty six years, Deborah Nettles Woodall; two children, Shane (Jessica) Woodall of Brooklyn, New York; Kendra (Bobby) Jordan of Lebanon; granddaughter, McKenzie Jordan; brother, Ronnie Woodall of Lebanon.
Memorials may be made to the Vanderbilt Brain Tumor Center, % Coleman Harris, T4224 MCN 1161 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37232-2380 or to the Alive Hospice at Skyline Madison Campus, 500 Hospital Drive, 2nd Floor, Madison, TN 37115.
