09/12/2025
When I knew my cowboy pa's cancer diagnoses was *really* serious, I asked a dear friend and cousin her advice on what I should be doing. Unfortunately, she knew from her mother's death what little we could do-- to keep them in memory.
She said: "Record things. Record his voice. Record his writings. Record his laughter."
So I recorded a lot. I recorded this video.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yyNQdFRwia8LvCYJ6
Creedence Clearwater Revival was one of my pa's favorite bands. In this video, we're driving south on I-380 after our neighbor, Steve Prybil, helped my Pa secure a brand new truck. This was shortly after the dispersal of our herd. My pa knew he didn't need his giant, Duramax diesel anymore, so he reverted to his teenage years. He purchased a more modest, smaller, Chevy truck that was not a "puller," but more nimble. This new truck was faster like his Chevelle from his high school days. It turned more like his fast palomino, "Cutter Bill" that he rode during my childhood in his competitive team penning days.
He's driving the new truck here. Appreciating ALL the radio stations. Loving the truck. I was loving him, recording him loving the truck.
Because he "purchased" this truck near COVID times, he owed nothing on it-- even though it was factory ordered. His old truck was in such demand that it paid for this one. Also, Steve Prybil, our neighbor, worked some awesome deals for my pa.
This video showed up in my memories today. I'm happy that I have memories of Dean that technology reminds me of.
Yes.
Sometimes the reminders and collections of his life in snippets is a gut punch of grief, but it's more amazing to me than anything. So thank you, dear cousin, for telling me to record the moments. Hold them tight.
Here you're seeing Pa's first drive in his brand new Chevy truck in December 2020-- shortly after the dispersal sale. He wouldn't see it turn past 1,000 miles.
Even though dealerships have reached out, several times, to spur my momma on to trading it in, she refuses. She quotes the country song often of "I Drive Your Truck." Yes. It's a corny, ho**ey country song, but it has resonance because of this truck and my pa and this video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCSMCgqlc-0
I *would* really like to see my momma, Susan, tear around and cut some cookies with my pa's truck-- as this dude does in the video. You know. She could "tear it up" with the Chevy on some fresh baseball-diamond turf in Riverside. IYKYK. SMH! 😉 If you don't know the story, ask me in person. I'll explain the infamous significance.
Hug your loved ones. Fight to keep your loved ones healthy. Advocate for their health-- fiercely. Ask the hard questions. Research with librarians at the University of Iowa Main Library-- the library and librarians are a public good that anyone may access to find and consider scientific papers from expensive medical journals. Our tax money pays for these resources! I used them a lot when pa was sick, to figure out best standards of care, where we could turn next when a treatment failed and the cancer grew, and grew, and grew. We had a good run, though, he outlived all the statistics. Medical specialist librarians at the University of Iowa will help you find the articles, define the big words-- so can AI.
Guess who are often the real medical experts? You.
You know what your body and loved-ones need to make your/their bodies comfortable.
Doctors and the health system are so dreadfully stressed and underfunded right now; it's not their faults that they miss things. It's hard to function in a dysfunctional system.
Here's how you can take control, so you may live a long life and go to all the cattle sales and auctions and shows:
Ahem! 🎺 Schedule your colonoscopies. Schedule your partner's, your friends', your grandparents' colonoscopies. Drive each other there. Don't let weaning cattle, breeding schedules, and/or fence-building keep you from your appointment. Go!
https://uihc.org/services/colonoscopy....
And: record things. Hold tight. They will always be with you in photos, recordings, writings, a cattle herd he raised for twenty-years, our diva R434 cow, the wind, the birds, the rainbows. 🌈
Sending high regards to all of our customers: past and present.
--Dean's youngest daughter, Dana Thomann
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