Homer'sWorld

Not to be morbid, but I was thinking about how people kick the bucket today. Back in 1870, a quarter of the people who died in Tucson were killed by Indians, according to the mortality census taken that year. The Apaches were trying to defend themselves and the accounts are strangely similar to the insurgent attacks in Iraq. The same records indicate that many more people, mostly children, were busy dying from small pox.

One reason I've never been so keen on passing my own genes on is the family history of health problems. Diabetes, heart attacks, and strokes are pretty strong in my family. Cancer is rather rare. I somehow have high cholesterol, despite being a vegetarian for 22 years, I guess it is a genetic thing.

I went through my records and looked at the cause of death for my direct ancestors. I'm guessing I'll have heart problems some time in the future. Hopefully I'll keel over at the same exact moment I've spent all of my retirement funds. Of course in 30 years those 401K dollars will probably be just enough to buy a big box of Depends and nothing else.

Father Lee- heart attack at 64 (stroke, diabetes)
Mother Carolyn- still alive at 73 (diabetes)
Grandpa Harold- heart attack at 67
Grandma Anna- old age at 87, dementia
Grandpa Morrell- heart attack at 65
Grandma Alice- heart failure at 76
Great grandpa Philip- peritonitis (blood infection) at 33
Great grandma Grace- stomach cancer at 54
Great grandpa Colonel- old age at 87, dementia
Great grandma Maybelle- heart failure at 64, diabetes
Great grandpa Sheldon- heart attack or stroke at 61
Great grandma Faith- old age at 85
Great grandpa Ernest- pneumonia and tuberculosis at 56
Great grandma Blanche- jaundice at 55 (perhaps diabetes?)


Grandpa Harold


Great grandpa Colonel


Great grandpa Sheldon