Dear Daddy,

HI DaddyO!!!

I just wanted to tell you that I miss you very much and I love you. I cant wait to see you again.

Love love you,

Kedra
"Kiddo"

Documents related to the memorial service for Martin: the program folder, inside and out; the memorial folder, inside and out; the announcement posted at McKee Foods Company; and the obituary as it appeared in the Chattanooga Times Free Press on June 19, 2007.

Obituary

The following is the text of the obituary from Heritage Funeral Home.

 

Lee, Martin Lloyd age 59 of Ooltewah, TN passed away June 17, 2007 at a local hospital.  He was an employee of McKee Foods Company and was a member of the Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church.  Martin was former deputy chief of the Tri-Community Fire Department.  He was preceded in death by his father, Raymond Allen Lee.

 

Surviving relatives; wife, Margarita Rose. Mother, Margaret Lucille Floyd.  Daughter, Kedra Staten.  Brothers, Kenneth Lee and Charles Lee.  Six grandchildren, four nieces and nephews.

 

A memorial service will be held at 3 P.M. Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at the Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church with Pastors Mike Fulbright and Kenneth Lee officiating.  The family will receive friends following the service in the foyer of the church.  Condolences may be sent to www.heritagefh.com [or posted here]. 

 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to: American Brain Tumor Association, 2720 River Road, Des Plains, IL 60018 or www.abta.org.

 

Arrangements by Heritage Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 7454 E. Brainerd Rd., Chattanooga, TN.

Martin is asleep in Jesus now.  Thank you all for your prayers and love.  In lieu of phone calls and visits today, please post messages here.

 

Arrangements will be announced here as soon as they are available.

 

Ken

The family treasures your love and prayers, but we must ask that you not visit or call.  If you would like to express your love and concern, please post your message as a comment on this blog.

 

Thank you.

 

Ken

Martin's oxygen has been adjusted so that he's now getting 100% oxygen inside the mask (up from 50% yesterday).  He also now has a pain medication pump hanging on a pole by his bed.  The pump gives him a regular dose and allows family to increase the dosage a bit if he seems to need more.  He remains minimally responsive to touch and sound.

 

Ken

Martin was a little restless Wednesday and Thursday nights, coughing a lot and fidgeting with his hands.  Last night (Friday), he was much quieter.  He coughed occasionally, but for the most part he simply slept quietly.

 

Ken

Martin was not as communicative yesterday as he was Tuesday evening. He had a fever that responded to Tylenol (at least I think that’s what they gave him). Many people came by to visit, especially last evening after Debbie and I left.

Pastor Herod and Gary Nudd from the Bowman Hills SDA Church were here this morning when we got to the hospital.

Martin is now breathing through an oxygen mask (as opposed to a nasal canula) because he seems to breathe more through his mouth now than his nose. His breathing seems to be more labored than before.

Pastor Kenyon and Ginger stopped by briefly this afternoon.

The family continues to be overwhelmed by the love and support from all of Martin’s friends. What a blessing it is to know that he has touched so many lives and that so many people care about him.

Please understand that, as much as we treasure your love for Martin, the doctor has ordered that visits be limited to 5 minutes or less. If you come to visit, please plan to respect that limitation. Thank you.

Ken

Debbie and I drove over from North Carolina yesterday and visited Martin at the hospital. He was responsive to our presence and even opened his eyes when Debbie spoke to him. He seemed to be more comfortable than he was last time I saw him (at home). Several others were there, including Margarita (of course), Linda Piatt, Troy and Barbie McDougal, and Lisa ? from the church. Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated.

Ken

P.S. On May 25, I posted a comment that contained a letter that I wrote to Best Buy concerning a very insensitive customer "service" incident at the Best Buy store on Gunbarrel Rd. To date, I have not received any reply or acknowledgement of the letter, so I guess this incident reflects Best Buy's corporate philosophy in dealing with customers.

KAL

Dad is in the hospital

Apparently Dad wasnt responding or waking up today. So the doctor decided it was time to move him to Memorial. He is in room 401. I plan on driving up this weekend.

Please email me or call me if you have any questions. I will post daily as I get info. Thank you for all your support and prayers.

Kedra

Peaceful

Dad has been in a peaceful place for the past few days, resting alot and is comfortable. He has been sleeping alot better, breathing better and will sometimes say a few words. He even likes to try and take off his clothes.

A huge thank you for all the prayers, vistors, food and donations. A huge thanks to the people who built the ramp and pathway.

Keep the prayers coming!!

Kedra

Please keep praying

Dad is doing okay. He is having some periods of sleep apnea but otherwise is doing fine. We have not done any treatments, they were making dad too weak. He is much stronger now and is even able to talk to us..I even got to speak to him on the phone yesterday. He doesnt make much sense but he still has his sense of humor.

I wanted to thank everyone for their support, the food, the gifts, the prayers..Margarita wouldnt be able to get thru this w/o you guys.

Kedra

Thanks for your prayers and concern for Martin

Dear Friends:

Thanks so much for your concern and prayers for Martin. I am sorry that I don´t have time to thank each person individually who has helped by sending cards, praying for Martin, visiting him, bringing food, and especially words of comfort. I appreciate everything you are doing and I do not feel alone during this difficult time, because all of you are by our side.

Tonight, Martin seems to be doing a little better, stopping his treatments for now seems to be the right thing to do and hopefully he will slowly regain his strength.

May the Lord bless all of you for what you are doing.

Thank you,
Margarita

Thank You for Praying Last Night

Thank you so much for taking a moment last night and praying for my dad and our family. I would ask that you continue to pray for comfort and peace.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!!!!!

Margarita has asked me to post a request for volunteers to sit with dad every afternoon for one to two hours. Volunteers must be able to lift and/or turn dad as needed. If you are able to help one or two days a week, please call her at home (423) 893-8960 after 7pm.

If you have any questions, you can post them here on the blog or email me at:

livinonprayer247@yahoo.com

Thank you so much!!

Kedra

Prayer Blog

"OH Heavenly Father, I call your name with a heavy heart. You are my life, You are my strength. I need you now more than ever, Dear Lord. I raise my hands, I need to feel your embrace. Tears pour down my face. My father, my dear father, oh Lord, please, give him the strength he needs. Give him the peace he needs. Please dear Lord, give him the comfort that he needs. He needs you, oh Lord, be with him now as I pray. Embrace him now, he wants to seek your face. My hands raised high, my heart filled with your grace. Oh dear Lord, I call your name, You are my life, You are my strength, I need to feel your embrace, as tears pour down my face. Please embrace my father, give him comfort, peace and the strength he needs. Please dear Lord, embrace my father with your loving arms....
I fall to my knees with helds high, tears fall down my face as I feel your embrace, and my heart fills with your grace. You are my life, You are my strength. My father, my dear father, needs you now. You are his life, You are his strength. His heart is filled with your grace. He wants to seek your face. Tears fall from his face as he feels your embrace, You give him peace, You give him comfort, You give him strength. You embrace him with your loving arms......"


I love you Daddyo

Pray for Comfort and Peace

I spoke with Margarita this morning and she gave me an update on Dad. He is doing ok, but he did have some more trouble with his breathing last night. She even had to make a call to the nurse. He is apparently having some apena episodes, so she increased his oxygen.

So, I am calling basically an all hands on deck. I am requesting that tonight at 9pm EST that everyone take a few moments to get on their knees and pray for my dad and Margarita. Pray for comfort. Pray for peace. Pray for strength. Gather around your loved ones and pray together. Hug those you hold close to your heart. Please tonight pray that my dad has peace and comfort. Pray for strength for him and for his family.

I will post a prayer blog tonight and if you would like, you can post your prayer.


I wanted to add a HUGE thank you to all the McKee employees for their donation. You guys are amazing, thank you so much! I know my dad loved his job and working with each and everyone of you.


Kedra

Taking a break

I spoke with Margarita this morning to get an update on Dad. He is doing okay, but is still rather weak. He had some difficulty breathing yesterday and is now on oxygen. This is a common side effect of his treatments. Because he is so weak and tired, we have decided to take a break from his radiation treatments for now. I will know more on Monday what the plan is.

Please call the house after 8pm if you want to set up a time to visit with dad.

Kedra