DR. RICHARD G. NILGES

JOE AND MARY , SORRY TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR FATHER. KEN CREANEY HOW ARE YOU DOING [email protected]

Just one more "post", and I hope I am not "overwhelming the channel" as I often do. I need to say this. I was not able to be at my Dad's rites and this is how I can honor him.

Thank you for being my father. You did so much for us. I am certain somehow that you are reunited with the spirit of your well-loved Elder Brother, Edward, who gave his life for his country and his men.

The ancestors visit us in dreams. Edward visited you, you once wrote, in the dress uniform of a...

Richard G. Nilges was born in 1919 in Cleveland, Ohio and departed this life on July 12, 2011. He was a self made man and worked his way through school to become a doctor. He was a brilliant man and the author of two books.

I first met Dr. Nilges in the spring of 2007 through my wife, Lori, who had met him at the Breakers. I became his caregiver and we immediately hit it off. It helped that my name is William, just as his father and brother. I enjoyed our time together; it was...

His home was a big home, lots of stuff going on all the time, never a dull moment. Artists in the basement and ballet dancers in the living room. Encyclopedias pulled off shelves and not returned properly to his annoyance.

Cars in the driveway parked by 14 year olds practicing an essential skill for suburbia.

Girls in sandals meeting the folks, totally embarassed. Dad recounting how his own father would say Ist She Catholische about girlfriends whilst himself being...

Rick, I'm sure you remember the old man taking us out west, which for some reason was South Dakota. Comic books in the back seat and going to see the George Pal film The Time Machine. Wall Drugs with the dinosaurs. The point is not the destination it is the journey and Dad was a model for hanging out with my own kids. You can solemnly watch concrete being poured with kids and they will benefit.

To my father:

Thanks, Dad, for being there for all of us and doing your job as a father. Even though your profession required you to spend a lot of time away from home, you would take us to the hospital when you made Sunday rounds. I will never forget those times and it gave me my work ethic by your example. I am glad for the time we had, especially the last few years as you grew old. I feel I became closer to you than ever as the years went by. Your caregiver in your last years,...