Issued a week shy of his 83rd birthday, Buzzy’s 2007 driver’s license photo sorta says it all. See how he appears very gaunt and tired looking and with good reason because he was dealing with a number of medical issues at the time including early dementia. Too, all that Black Velvet all those years had finally caught up with him.
His Height and Weight listed on the license were just updates to what he had stated previously. In fact, he was at neither of those levels when this was issued. That his signature runs downhill also indicates where he was heading.
Obtaining the license renewal itself was a colossal hassle. I had tried to talk him out of it because he wasn’t driving anymore, but he insisted on getting it renewed.
Once we were at the Loveville DMV office, he had a tough time passing the eye test. After he had flunked it a couple times, the lady administering the test suggested that if we bring in something from an eye doctor stating that his eyesight was within the state requirements, it could be renewed.
I had just taken him to the eye doctor a few weeks previously and knew that he was within the State’s mandatory range. That is how he managed to get the renewal after making a second and third trip back to Loveville. (I went by there with the test results but they wouldn’t renew his license without him being present. Hence, he and I made a third trip on 5 October 2007 when he was issued the above license.)
These are not very good memories and really, I don’t know why I keep this document of his around. However, I can’t bring myself to toss it away even though I should. Note that his driver’s license would have expired 10-11-2012. He passed away on 11 June 2009. Makes me wonder just how many people do or don’t expire before their drivers license does.
How about a melancholy song to accompany a semi-melancholy post: