Funeral: July 6th, 2009

Hello family and friends,

The funeral was simply beautiful. Whether you were able to attend or not, we felt your spirit, support, and love.

The meet and greet was nice. Many reunions occurred for us all. It was so wonderful to see family and friends. Some people traveled very long distances to attend, and it warmed our hearts to see them. (In many cases, it had been 5-10 years since we had seen some of those who attended the services.)

One of Paul's closest friends from Huntington Beach, Richard Astle, played beautiful prelude music on the organ as the family moved into the chapel.

The funeral services program included:

Presiding: Bishop Reber

Conducting: Bishop Reber

Organist: Richard Astle

Chorister: Blair Adams

Opening Hymn: How Great Thou Art #86

Opening Prayer: Jared Bingham

Eulogy: J. Francis Valerga

Speaker: Jaime Bingham Brock

Musical Number: Jesse Bingham, Tammy Bingham, Josh Bingham "Families Can Be Together Forever"

Speaker: Bo Bingham

Speaker: Josh Bingham

Final Remarks: Bishop Reber

Closing Hymn: Abide with me #166

Closing Prayer: Jesse Bingham

During Jaime and Josh's talk, one of Paul's favorite scriptures was read, Alma 37:6. It talks about how small and simple things can bring about great things. At the end of Josh's talk, he passed along a challenge to those in the audience, and now he is passing it along to all those who read this blog: Before this Sunday (July 12), perform one small or simple thing to make another person happy. It can be a close relative, or someone you hardly know. After doing this small act, think of Paul and his example of bringing happiness and love to others, often by very small acts of kindness and love.

After the services, we drove over to the Mesquite City Cemetery, and our wonderful brother, Jacob "Shakey" Bingham, dedicated Paul's grave. The graveside ceremonies were so peaceful and tender. Some family members visibly had a tough time at the grave, but surrounding friends and family supported those in need in comfort.

We then drive back to the Stake Center (Church) to enjoy an absolutely wonderful luncheon that was put together by the Relief Society of the local congregation that Paul and Barbara attended. At this luncheon, a beautiful group of BYU football items were on display to honor Paul's love of BYU football. The food was delicious and a welcome relief to a long morning/day to the family and friends.

The family wishes to thank everyone for their love and support during this tough time. For us, the hardest times are ahead of us...so, stay close and check in with us when you can. Your continued prayers and support are greatly needed and appreciated.

Funeral Services Details

Family and Friends,

As already announced, Paul's funeral services will be Monday, July 6th. All are welcome.

9:00am: Meet & Greet at the LDS Stake Center in Mesquite, Nevada. (Address below)

10:00am: Funeral Services in the chapel of the LDS Stake Center in Mesquite, Nevada.

11:00am: Grave Dedication and Burial Services at the Mesquite City Cemetery. (Address below)

12:00noon: Luncheon back at the LDS Stake Center in Mesquite, Nevada. ***This luncheon is NOT just for the Bingham family. All who come to the services are encouraged to attend this luncheon.******


Addresses:

1. LDS Stake Center in Mesquite, Nevada.

100 North Arrowhead Lane
Mesquite, Nevada 89027
(There are two chapels in the parking lot. The services will be in the chapel closest to the street).

2. Mesquite City Cemetery.

301 Hillside Drive
Mesquite, Nevada 89027

We thank all our wonderful friends and family for their love and support.

Funeral Services: July 6th in the morning

Hello family and friends,

Thanks so much for all the emails, calls, and prayers of condolences.

The funeral services for Paul are going to be held Monday (July 6) in the morning here in Mesquite, Nevada. Once I have an address and specific details, I will post on this blog.

Above is a picture of Paul that was taken recently at temple square in Salt Lake City. We LOVE this picture of him!

We love you all!

Paul E Bingham...passed away

Our dear father has passed this afternoon at 2:03pm.

He had a look of pure comfort and peace in his eyes. In the room was Barbara, Jaime, Jesse, Josh, Tammy (Bo's wife), and Marsha (Paul's sister).

Details of the funeral will be posted once we know.

We love you all!

-The Bingham Kids

Update: Tuesday. June 30

Hello family and friends,

Tonight Paul's kids and wife gathered around the bed to spend some time with Paul. It was an emotional expereince to watch our father in this state and remember all the love and happiness he has shared to us and countless others throughout his life. We had a family prayer together and then we decided to give our father a Priesthood blessing of comfort. Josh was asked to give the blessing. The spirit filled the room, and we all felt better after having that expereince.

Paul's Heath Update:

He is pretty much in the same shape as he was a few days ago. We don't get to hear much from him anymore. His medication (fed automatically from a machine) keeps him comfortable. Our main hospice nurse, Judy, is amazed he has lasted this long and told us this morning that her guess is he will pass in a few more days (max). Paul is strong willed.

Hospice gave us a nice little blue pamphlet about death. I want to share with the quote that appears on the last page of the booklet:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

The someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.

Her dimished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: "There, she is gone!" There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shourt: "Here she comes!"

And that is dying.

-Henry Van Dyke

Thanks again for all your love, support, and email/blog messages. They mean the world to us.

-The Bingham Kids

Sunday, June 28 Update

This is a picture I took of two of Paul's sisters: Nancy and Marsha. I meant to get a picture with Janet (Pauls 3rd sister), but I forgot. Paul's sisters have been a WONDERFUL help to making Paul comfortable. This included buying a beautiful set of comfortable sheets for him, and supplying a wedge pillow so he could breath easier while on his back in bed. We love them and thank them for their support.

Weekend activities:

This weekend Jared and Shakey (two of Paul's sons) drove down from Utah. So once again, all his children are here. We had a tender FHE again today, after letting Paul take an afternoon nap. We sang Paul some of his favorite hymns. Jared came up with a great way to help Paul be able to drink water since Paul no longer has the energy to sip from the straw. We all spent hours just being in the room and being with Paul. We also watched a 20 minute DVD that Hospice gave us about the stage we (the grieving family) are in now. The video was from the 80's, but still had a few good pieces of advice. Tongiht we had a family prayer in the room, and Barbara asked Josh to offer the prayer. The spririt of the Lord filled the room and touched our hearts. The combined love in that room was powerful and strong. It makes me cry even as I type this.

Paul heath update:

Sadly folks, this is the bad news. Paul is getting worse. Today was, by far, his worst day we have seen yet. He has no energy to even speak or do much of anything. His breathing is getting louder and tougher...and there is more time between breaths. We beleive he understands SOME of what we say, but it's very difficult to make the distinction. Sometimes we can still get a smile out of him though, and that warms our hearts to no end. At this point, we would be surprised if he lasted more than 2-3 days, but as I said before, you never know. The hospice nurse told us that we (his family) are doing a great job at doing everything we can to make him comfortable.

That's the update.

A BIG thanks for all the blog comments and emails we receive for Paul. Every day I read Paul these messages and it really is one of the few exerepinces that can still get a smile on Paul's face.

Friday update and Pictures from Family FHE

Here are some pictures from the Family FHE on Sunday, June 21st. You will see Paul and his grand-daughter Hazel sitting in a chair looking at each other. We also asked all the grandchildren to pose with Paul and most actually looked at the camera for the shot! :) Paul and Barbara smiled and laughed often during the FHE so I snapped a shot of that as well. Another picture shows him talking to his grandsons Brandon and Brody.

Health update: Since sunday, there has been a steady decline in Paul's condition. We have appreciated help from his sisters, family members, and hospice to help make him as comfortable as possible. He is less communicative and eating less. We still see him smile from time to time, especially when we read to him the emails/blog posts from many of you whose lives he has touched. Baylee and Jesse sing to him - he enjoys hearing some of his favorite hymns and primary songs. Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support. :)

Small Update (Wed night, June 24)

Hi family and friends,

Today it was nice to see Paul surrounded by his three sisters (Janet, Marsha, and Nancy). I meant to take a picture of them today, but it slipped my mind. Tomorrow for sure. They talked to Paul about growing up together and looked at pictures of Paul growing up.

Paul's condition isn't well. He has his good times and bad times. We are hoping for more good times.

If anyone reading this wants, I would request (if you know Paul) you send me and email (or simply post a comment on this blog), with nice things you would like to say about Paul. Everyday I will print those out and read them to him. I think sometimes the messages get through, and I am sure the positive spirit and vibes are good for him.

We love you all and thank you for your love and support.

-Josh and all the Bingham kids
My email to send your nice words to Paul: joshbingham@gmail.com

P.S. Tonight I decided to post some pictures of Paul and Barbara's wedding. The picture with the palm trees was taken outside the Los Angeles LDS Temple.

Father's Day with Paul

Father's Day with Paul:

Tammy (married to Bo) made a wonderful Pork Roast meal and we joined Paul in his bedroom (he spends 95% of his time in bed) for a nice Sunday Father's Day dinner.

Paul then needed a nap. A few hours later we had a special family FHE (family home evening).

The program was the following:

Grandkids and adults FHE.

We gathered everyone together, including all the grandchildren, which we sat down in front of Paul. Shakey offered an opening prayer and then we all sang "I am a Child of God." Paul then addressed the grandchildren and explained a little bit about his condition. Then we went to each grandchild and asked them questions about their summer as well as their feelings about Papa (their name for Paul). It was so tender to listen to their answers, even amoung the loud noise that accompanies small children. The kids parents also gave some updates for the "too young" to understand what's going on. It was a priceless moment.

Family picture.

We then took on the mighty task of getting everyone together for a family photo. Josh was the photographer and had a nice set-up right outside the house. We put Paul and Barbara in the middle, and then had all the families emminate from their position. After taking MANY photos (as you can imagine, the really young ones didn't really cooperate), finally ONE shot came out almost perfect. Posted with this update.

Adult FHE.

This was one of the most tender and emotional moments of our lives. Jesse, Josh, and Tammy (Bo's wife) sang "Families are Forever." Paul addressed us and shared his thoughts and testimony. He talked about how grateful he was for his wife, and his children. He shared his testimony of the gospel. The room filled with the spirit and love of Christ. After Paul, Barbara shared her thoughts, feelings, and testimony. As always, her message centered around love and being there for each other. It was powerful. Following Barbara, each child (including spouses) shared their thoughts about the family and their testimony of the gospel. Oh, it was such a tender time to be together and feel the strong love we have for each other. Our parents have always taught us to stay close and to love each other..and althogh we aren't perfect, we have tried to remain in each others lives. There was a box of Kleenex that went around the room as we shared our feelings, and boy did it get used. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.

The kids talked about how much we love our parents and how they had taught us the eternal principles of the gospel. We talked about how we always stick together in hard times and that this was the hardest of them all. Someone talked about how lucky we were to not just receive a call with Paul already gone, but that we got to gather and share this time together. One kid talked about how that scripture in 1 Nephi was so fitting, "Being born of goodly parents." Very true in our case. Some shared stories of Paul and his influence in their lives. Again, a powerful and tender moment that will be cherished for eternity.

Then we closed with a prayer by Barbara. After all that, Paul was happy, and exhasted. So back to bed he went for rest.

Paul's condition update:
Father's Day Paul had the most energy and strength he has had in weeks...must have been the love and the spirit present that day. He looks good.

Hospice service has now started and we love our nurse. Her name is Judy and she is doing everything she can to make Paul comfortable as he prepares.

Paul's sisters (Janet, Nancy, and Marsha) are coming to visit today (Monday) and we are looking forward to seeing them. I will post of picture of their visit tonight. Again, thanks for all your love and concern.

-Bingham Kids

Paul Eugene Bingham
LDS Missionary Photo

June 17, 2009

Family and Friends,

As some of you may or may not know, our father is really sick. In early April, Paul was diagnosed with having MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome). It's an early form of Leukemia. MDS is classified into three basic categories: Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced. Paul has intermediate. Basically, MDS is when your bone marrow just "poops" out and either stops making cells, or makes cells that aren't helpful.

In May the doctors started Paul on a chemotherapy treatment called "Vidaza."

Unfortunately, Paul's condition is intensified by his older age (67) and two other big health problems:
1. Diabetes.
2. Psorosis of the Liver.

Paul's body just isn't accepting any of the treatments. He gets multiple blood transfusions each week, but with his liver shot, the transfusions are not helping. His blood cell counts are so low and nothing is really helping them get better. (for example, when a person needs like 400 minimum of a type of blood cell, Paul has around 5).

We, Paul's children, decided to create this blog as the MAIN center for getting updates as to his condition. We love our father with all our hearts and want to be with him as much as possible during this last phase of life.

I know most of you are curious as to a timeline for Paul. It's really hard to say. Without the chemotherapy, someone in his condition could have 1-3 months. However, with Paul's other health issues, his hematologist feels one month or less is more realistic. (though miracles can and have happened). As the line from Terms of Endearment goes, "We hope for the best, and prepare for the worst."

As far as contacting us, please feel free to call or email (see below). If we don't answer or pick-up, please know it's not because your contact isn't appreciated or that it isn't helping. By all means, we NEED every one's support, contact, friendship, love, and prayers. Feel free to post here and we can read your posts to Paul (usually in bed now).

All of Paul's kids are going to be with him this Father's Day. Updates will be placed here on a VERY regular basis.

Again, thanks in advance for your love, concern, and prayers. We love you all and we know the Lord will guild us though and His will be done in all things.

-Bingham kids

Update on June 18:

Paul was diagnosed with Bone cancer today after getting an X-ray. This, in addition to the MDS and the other stuff I listed above.

We are looking into Hospice options now.

Some contact info:

Josh Bingham
joshbingham@gmail.com
Cell phone: 650-814-4423

Paul Bingham
paul.bingham@gmail.com

Barbara Bingham
barbbingham@gmail.com