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 Bob Beardsley - 1991 |
Bob was the ultimate salesman. He and I worked together in the Recreational Vehicle Industry for most of our life together. When he was in his middle 30's we discovered that the reason for his continued growth (went from 6'2" to 6' 7") was because he had a condition called acromegaly (Gigantism due to a pituitary tumor from too much growth hormone). He had brain surgery in 1980 to remove the non-malignant tumor. Unfortunately, the fact that he had grown so much larger caused other issues and by the time he was in his late 40's he developed problems with his hips, which demanded hip replacements in both hips and then a second time to replace the right hip again due to a fall. Being so large his recovery was slow and he developed congestive heart failure, adult on-set diabetes, and eventually kidney failure, that landed him in dialysis three days a week. He spent one full year in a hospital bed in our family room, which was now more similar to a hospital ward than a family room. I slept on the sofa all during that time, taking care of his needs. On August 9, 1999 he passed away while sleeping. He had a massive heart attack and never woke up. If one has to pass it is a merciful way to go...except he was only four months shy of his 53 birthday...one he wanted to reach because, ironically, his father died at age 52 of a heart attack. He became affectionately known as "Big Bob" and was such a happy-go-lucky guy with an engaging personality. He attracted people to him wherever he happened to be. I was lucky to have been married to him for 32 years. He was my "gentle giant." |
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 Bob & Kim DelTour '65 marry in 1967 |
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