I received some tragic news about one of my cousins

[Siwsan]

Dan was a few years older than me, an Air Force veteran and retired civil service worker. He was a smart, funny, really sweet guy. We used to talk, about once a month. I know he was going to the VA for some health problems but he always seemed so full of life.

He had recently moved to a new apartment about 60 miles from here, to be close to his daughter. When I didn't hear from him I figured he was settling in and would eventually get in touch and give me his new contact information.

His daughter went to Florida to visit her sister and while she was gone, she couldn't reach her dad on the phone (Dan never used the internet). She finally called the police. They found him, on the kitchen floor, deceased. It appeared he had gone outside to smoke and took a fall. He made it back into the house and fell, again, in the kitchen. He fell so hard that his head left a dent in the refrigerator. They think he was dead for a week, when they found him.

My mind automatically goes to something nefarious happened but we will have to wait for the autopsy to know for sure.

To say I'm heartbroken is an understatement. I am close to most of my cousins but Dan always had a special place in my heart.

This makes the 8th family member I've lost in the past 6 years. You can never take that next phone call or visit for granted.