I'm 69. My grandfather passed at the age of 94. A sometimes hunter but fished his entire life. Was drafted in WW2 at the age of 39 into the Navy and sent to Key West Florida on a Sub Hunter. First thing he did was tell my grandmother to send him some sinkers and hooks so he could fish either off the boat or with a hand line off the docks. BTW, he had 5 kids when he was drafted. It was the way it was back then. He used to write my grandmother every day during WW2 and tell her about his fishing exploits and how damn hot it was in Key West and how everyone on the boat smelled bad. He also talked about fishing and having the cook prepare fish for him on the side.
Anyway, when I last saw him he was 92 years old and sharp as a tack. I asked him what he missed most as he was pretty much confined to a easy chair watching TV and smoking Winstons. He told me he had buried all of his hunting buddies and that what he missed most was wetting a line and swapping stories about old fishing trips and big fish that got even bigger over time. He said he wouldn't be upset when he passed as he missed damn near everybody near and dear to him. Just part of life as they say.
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