The end - bitter or otherwise

There was a RadioLab podcast recently that struck me. How we deal with our end of life decisions is not something we talk about often.

I would recommend listening to this. I think it will raise some questions and perhaps generate some different answers than you might have thought you had.

Ken Murray, a doctor who's written several articles about how doctors think about death, explains that there's a huge gap between what patients expect from life-saving interventions (such as CPR, ventilation, and feeding tubes), and what doctors think of these very same procedures.

What do you think?

Did this change your mind on how you would approach the end?



If the embedded link doesn't work properly you can also listen to the episode here
http://www.radiolab.org/blogs/radiolab-blog/2013/jan/15/bitter-end/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=%24%7Bfeed%7D&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+%24%7Bradiolab%7D+%28%24%7BRadiolab%7D%29

Graveside visit

While the Notre Dame cemetery was closed when I tried to visit on the 19th, I managed to get there during open hours on Saturday.





If you look carefully, do you see the angel sitting on their stone?




They have lots of company




The memorial mass for Jerry will be held at 10:30 today
http://jerrysherlockstory.blogspot.com/2013/02/1-yr-memorial-mass.html

1 yr Memorial Mass

The one year Memorial Mass for Jerry will be celebrated this Sunday at 10:30 AM at St Michael's Church, Smithfield, RI.


St Michael's Church
80 Farnum Pike
Smithfield, RI 02917




View Larger Map

Providence Police Pipes and Drums Fundraiser

Last night was the Providence Police Pipes and Drums Fundraiser at the Whiskey Republic in Providence.

Jerry was one of our early supporters at our first fundraiser.  He attended the opening Providence College Basket Ball game which was our first real public outing with our Kilts.

We exited the court playing the Marine Corps Hymn.  Jerry immediately shot to attention from his seat. Something all Marines will do on hearing the Marine Corps Hymn.

Lead Tip Drum Sergeant Carl Weston and friend of Jerry made it clear last night that we would salute Jerry.  Band president Sgt. Roger Aspinal announced before the Military set that it was the 68th Anniversary of the Flag Raising at Iwo Jima.  Many  MARINES present  started howling out the Marine Corps Battle Cry.  OOOHHH RAAAHHH!

Here is a clip of the military set played to a packed house.  Jerry would have loved this:

23 FEB 1945 - 2 Flags on Mt Suribachi

The National Colors were raised on Mt. Suribachi  on the island of IWO JIMA not once but twice.
 There is much back story to the Flag Raising.  It is complex and confusing.

However the simple fact is that the United States Flag was planted on Japanese soil by US MARINES.

Jerry was always adamant that there were in fact two flag raising's.  As usual he was right.

Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal went ashore with General Holland "Howlin' Mad" Smith that morning and when they landed the second flag had just been raised.  It was much larger and more visible.

SECNAV Forrestal was ecstatic by all accounts upon seeing the Flag. He turned to Gen. Smith and said, "Holland, the raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next five hundred years"

68 years ago toady the marked an emotional turning point in the battle.  It didn't change the tempo of the combat.  Members of the first and second flag raisers would be killed in combat on Iwo Jima.

6,000 Americans would be killed in 38 days of what is considered one of the fiercest battles in MARINE CORPS history.

Marines today say that the benchmark has always been Iwo Jima.   MARINE Veterans of Korea, Viet Nam, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan have all pointed to the MARINES of IWO as the truly serious Gunfighters.

Hard to look at Jerry in his later years as anything but a happy go lucky guy from Pawtucket.  Who was proud of his family.   I saw the grim determination in his face and the set of his jaw in his last days.  The face of a MARINE Gunfighter who didn't have the word defeat in his vocabulary.

Tonight a special toast will be given by his friends from the MARINE CORPS and Family at the Whiskey Republic.  

Semper FI.

The Sherlock's - once upon a time

Probably either in 1944 or 1945 as all are in uniform. This photo was available at Martina's funeral. The Higgins family readily agreed to make copies for those of us who wanted one. That the copy arrived in the mail on Feb 19th was special! Thank you!

Sherlock Family

Left to right, back row: Edward, John, Gerald, Henry, Paul
front row: Helene, Angela, Grandpa Sherlock, Grandma Sherlock, Fran, Martina

1st Anniversary - Feb 19, 2013

Two things for today.

One: 68 years ago, the Marines landed on Iwo Jima. Among them Jerry charged ashore as part of the 1st Joint Assault Signal Company in the 4th Division. He was lucky to walk off the island when it was all over. When asked about his time there, most of the time he said: "the real heroes did not come home."


Two: 67 years after he had landed and was lucky to walk off the island, Jerry took his last walk from us. I still think there was something about that connection.

Deep in the archives, there are recordings of Jerry talking of his life. I was fortunate to capture from his earliest memory up to the beginning of the 1950's. Unfortunately, I did not get more than that. His health problems started intervening. A couple of times when we did sit to record turned out to be TIA incidents where we rushed off to the hospital. I got a little gun shy after those incidents.

What we have we can listen to again and again. And treasure for the guidance and example he did set!

-----------

This is a brief recording where Jerry recalls his earliest memory and how there were two "Henry's".

Time: 4 minutes, 8 seconds

Iwo Jima - 68 years ago - Feb 19

On Feb 19th, it will be 68 years since the flag was raised on Iwo Jima and one year since Jerry left us. Special commemorative events will be held in CT on Sat and Sun, Feb 23, and Feb 24.



The poster for the event to commemorate this important date:




Additional information can be found on the Support our Survivors webpage http://www.sosiwojima.com/


This day will be one of prayers for those who fought with Jerry on Iwo Jima. He always said that the real heroes did not come home.


An anniversary Mass for Jerry will be held 10:30 AM on Sunday, Mar 2 at St Michael's Church in Smithfield, RI.

Allie and Brad (video)

Allie and Brad got married last week, hard to believe it is a week already! My brother Bob was able to capture this video of the ceremony at the last minute to share with Diane and others who could not make it to the ceremony.

It was a very nice event. I think this captures the ceremony very well.



The storybook story got off to a great start last week!

Allie and Brad - A storybook story

Allison and Brad got married on Saturday in a storybook wedding. There will be more pictures and stories to share but here is a shot of all the cousins and partners

Allie and Brad with Sherlock and Proulx cousins

The entrance song was from "The Princess Bride"
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-storybook-story.html

Prayer Card - Martina (Sherlock) Higgins

For those unable to travel to the wake and or funeral, here are the front and back images of the prayer cards for Martina.








One of the songs during the service was "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman" written by Carey Landry.

Martina B (Sherlock) Higgins

96, formerly of Wanda St., Narragansett, passed away on Friday, January 11, 2013 at Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol. She was the beloved wife of the late John J. Higgins. Born in Pawtucket, she was the daughter of the late John F. and Mary (King) Sherlock. 

Martina was a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy serving as a nurse during WW-II in Honolulu, HA and later was an operating room supervisor at Adelphi Hospital in Brooklyn, NY and South County Hospital in Wakefield before retiring. 

She was the devoted mother of John J. Higgins and his wife Gayle of South Hadley, MA and the late Cmdr. Edward J Higgins and his wife Gerry Higgins of Alexandria, VA; loving grandmother of Bernadette Higgins, Andrew Higgins, Sarah Higgins and John J. Higgins; dear sister of Henry Sherlock of Providence, Angela Brousseau of Snug Harbor, Helene Mainor of North Kingstown and the late John, Edward, Gerald and Paul Sherlock and Mary Frances Campbell; and loving aunt of many treasured nieces and nephews.

Funeral from the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME & Crematory-SOUTH COUNTY CHAPEL, 1111 Boston Neck Rd. (Rt.1A), Narragansett, on Wednesday, January 16th at 9:45 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Thomas More Church, 53 Rockland St., Narragansett at 11 a.m. Private interment will be at Mount St. Mary Cemetery, Pawtucket.   

VISITING HOURS are Tuesday, January 15th from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: St. Thomas More Church, 53 Rockland St., Narragansett, RI 02882.

Jerry with brothers and sisters

Front from left to right: Martina, Angela, Jack. Back left to right; Henry, Helene and Jerry
The picture was taken at RI College following the reception after Fran's funeral in 2007.
http://jerrysherlockstory.blogspot.com/2007/11/sherlock-clan.html


Obituary was originally posted to the Nardolillo Funeral Home web page here
http://easyfhweb.com/mobile/obituary.aspx?MemberId=115306