Initially Published in The West Nebraska Catholic Magazine November / December 2023 On Dec. 13, 1999, I received a 2 a.m. phone call, “It’s Mom, Dad’s heart stopped, and they couldn’t restart it.” It was a shock for our family, as well as the entire community, whose last memory of my dad was him playing Santa, as he gave away candy at a community event the day before. Seven years post-heart surgery, my dad had recently stopped taking blood thinners in advance of a medical pro