NathanA Busy Life
The two of them could never stay still as they always needed to do some work. Leonard was a man of God and was a proud chair of the Board of Deacons at North Ft. Worth Baptist Church. He even held the position of a Sunday school teacher there in church. He loved to play gold and build furniture when he had free time.
No Fights
David has spoken about his parents in an interview saying,“They never really spent a day apart unless it was a family emergency or something. And I never heard a cross word between them. I never heard them raise their voices to each other unless they were calling across the yard. They didn’t fight!” He certainly proves that his parent’s love life was goals for a married couple and a healthy relationship.
Family Comes First
Even their grand-kids loved Leonard and Hazel. Leonard has never even missed a basketball game of his grandson’s. They were excellent parents so it is no surprise they made even better grandparents. David also said,“The kids just adored my parents, they had such a special relationship, they were so close and came to all of their school events”. Then something happened.
Leonard’s Dementia
The whole family was absolutely distraught to hear that the head of their family was diagnosed with dementia. Dementia is a disease that slows down the brain and causes problems in the person’s ability to remember. In serious cases, some people do not remember anything that has experienced. Hazel knew it would be a challenge but remained positive no matter what.
A Drastic Change
Leonard’s memory was indeed failing but his consciousness was not, and that gave Hazel a sigh of relief. There have been 46 million people affected with dementia and are usually diagnosed at a very old age. Imagine losing all of the good memories that you have shared with someone you have known all your life. The best thing is to stay close to a dementia care facility.
A Need For Help
Leonard had to eventually be shifted to a dementia nursing home in Waco, Texas. Hazel was very fearful of the fact that the two of them may not be able to meet each other every day. After seeing each other every day for their whole married life, it was hard for her to see her husband like this as you could imagine. She felt helpless and lonely.