Rumbler... The Legend

[Dairt]

At the end, Mike was experiencing dimentia from a buildup of ammonia in his system - a side effect of cirrhosis of the liver. There was more damage than we knew and he was going downhill fast. His last stay in the hospital, all they did really was monitor him and give him meds orally to bring his ammonia levels back down. He knew this and eventually became very grumpy. You don't know grumpy 'till you've seen Rumbler with a wild hair....

He decided he was going to check himself out of the hospital. They told him no he couldn't, and he'd better calm down. He called us and we were on our way back home having left him in good spirits not even a half hour before. He had decided he was going to walk home from the hospital, some 30 minutes away. Trouble was he didn't have any clothes or shoes, just the hospital gown. Undaunted, Mike told them they had better check him out or he was going to get up and walk out.

He put the hospitalist on the phone who told us the only way they would let him leave was if we agreed to see him home. I could hear Mike in the background carrying on. We turned around and headed back to the hospital, and went to the floor nurse saying we were there to pick Mike up and take him home. She looked at us and said:" Oh you poor people!" With that they got a wheelchair, which Mike promptly hopped up out of bed and into, and off we went to take Mike back to his cabin, grumbling all the way.

He had managed to get an extra gown so he had one on front and backwards. Not much sooner than we had left the hospital, Mike said: "yer gonna have to stop the car because I've got to piss like a racehorse." There we were in Tallahassee traffic. I urged Mike to take it easy and assured him I'd find him something. There was no bringing him to a gas station or convenience store - I could only imagine what might happen....

I spotted an overgrown empty lot and pulled in behind tall bushes and Mike got out and stumbled in amongst the puckerbrush and took care of business. When he came back there was a big sigh of relief and we eventually got him back home to his dog Boop, but ended up staying 6 hours, making sure he was settled in and fed and that his meds were in order. He acted like nothing was wrong. All he knew was he was home, his dog was with him and he was out of that infernal place.

He reconnected with his brother, a miracle in many ways, and his brother quickly found a discrepancy in his meds and took care of that. Mike quickly recovered, and was back to his normal self for another few weeks. He knew more than any of us helping him that his time was near, and he never let on. He made it clear that he wanted to be at his home with his dog at all costs. Mike came over for a visit and spent the whole day just hanging out, on a Thursday before he passed that weekend. He had become enormously appreciative of everything in his life and for those who helped him. He was frail. It was difficult to see him that way. But his strength of character never wavered even for a moment.

He loved that dog, his friends and family, if you will, at Talon, and he loved this forum and his family of friends here. He managed to gracefully accept and appreciated all the help and care he received from everyone here. In every way, Mike O'Lary was a kindly, most generous soul, he lived to help people learn about shooting and all things related to his passion of firearms and training. You either loved him or hated him. Those in the latter category were few and far between, that's for sure.

Mike is missed, he is sorely missed. He was a friend for life. It's just that that meant his life....