When my father died, it was like an entire library burned to the ground.

—Laurie Anderson

My father-in-law, John, died last night. Ann and I sat with him and held his hand and talked to him for hours. He was very out of it but he did react as we spoke. His eyes and head moved, he squeezed our hands, and we could see his heart rate react on the monitor. At about 9:30PM he finally let go and died peacefully.

His obituary is as follows (reprinted from what we submitted to the local news:

John F. Affleck, 84, of Garden Hills Drive, Cranston, died Saturday, June 23, 2007 at Kent County Memorial Hospital in Warwick. He was the beloved husband for 58 years of Harriet A. (Vucci) Affleck.

Born in Providence, a son of the late John A. and Ann L. (O’Dea) Affleck, he resided in Cranston since 1935.

Mr. Affleck was a mechanical engineer and worked at Leesona Corporation in Warwick for 29 years, and later at Gulton Industries in East Greenwich before retiring.

He was a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Force during WW-II, serving in the 37th Air Depot Group.

An avid golfer, he was a member of Sun Valley Country Club and Cranston Country Club.

Besides his wife, he was the devoted father of Ann Affleck and her husband Andrew of Cranston, and loving grandfather of Jack Affleck.

Funeral from the NARDOLILLO FUNERAL HOME, 1278 Park Ave., Cranston on Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in Immaculate Conception Church, Oaklawn Ave., Cranston at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be private. VISITING HOURS Tuesday 4-8 p.m.