yesterday my step dad unfortunately passed away. so ill be taking a break from everything. i love you guys and thank you for being beside me for this. --Edit: I decided to formally talk about this. On 11/15/24, my stepdad Ted passed away around noon. That morning, I walked into the kitchen and saw my brother on the phone. As usual, I asked him, 'Wassup, bruh?' He replied, 'I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of freaking out.' I asked, 'Why, what's up?' and he said, 'Dad's in the hospital.' I sat there hoping he was okay, texting my friends while waiting for an update. I was watching YouTube when my brother came in crying and said, 'He's gone. They had been trying to get his heart going for an hour.' At that moment, I wasn’t crying. The first person I messaged was my boyfriend. Then I called my sister, and our conversation went like this: Me: 'Hey [Name].' Her: 'Yo, what's up?' Me: 'Don’t freak out, okay?' Her: 'Okay.' Me: 'This morning, Ted collapsed. He went to the hospital, and unfortunately, he passed away.' As we started talking about it, I broke down. I couldn’t type without getting tears on my phone, so I ended up sending a voice recording to my friend, crying my eyes out. Afterwards, I sat there crying to my friend Frankie about it. I’m so mad at myself for not taking time off to hang out with him more. I wish this was just a dream or some stupid prank. He was a goober and a goofball who loved to prank people and always made funny jokes. He was my mother’s best friend, my brother’s dad, and, most of all, someone I could call dad without feeling weird about it. I am going to miss him so much. Ted always had a knack for lightening the mood and bringing a smile to everyone’s face. From his endless array of pranks to his infectious laughter, he had a way of making even the toughest days a bit brighter. Every holiday, he would go all out with decorations and make sure everyone felt the joy of the season. His kind heart and generous spirit touched everyone who knew him. The suddenness of his loss is still hard to comprehend. It feels like just yesterday he was teasing us with his latest joke or sharing a story from his younger days. It's surreal to think that someone so full of life is no longer with us. The impact he's had on our lives is immeasurable, and the void he's left behind is profound. Thank you all for your understanding and support during this incredibly tough time. Your kindness and compassion are a great comfort to our family.
