10/04/2022
Yesterday I visited with my father Charles McElhose Sr. as I have tried to do regularly now for the past year and a half or so. My parting words were simply 'Love you Dad". Very early this morning my father passed away, his body finally failing from the affects of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) a disease in which your motor neurons die off. He lost his speech first, and then his ability to eat by mouth having to have a feeding tube, and gradually he lost the ability to walk, with only a little ability left to make only the slightest movements of his feet and fingers. He battled through it, denying it for a while, and trying to do everything he could to make the most of what was left as it progressed. While he will be missed and we have lost dad in this life, he has moved on to the next part of the journey of the soul and he is no longer trapped in a body that was increasingly becoming disconnected. He made his peace with God and passed in his sleep.
If you knew him, you know that most of the things he did in life centered around bringing experiences of joy to others. He owned and operated Patterson Bowling Center and was the 'King of Karaoke' to people in the Baltimore area among other things. He and my mother always did things like hosting family for the holidays and holding pool parties in the summer and on the fourth of July. They simply were following the examples of connected family they learned from great people like my Great Grandma Mae and my Grandparents on both sides. Many things about who I am and who my brother is and our willingness to try and accomplish many different things come from Dad.
Our family asks that if you knew Dad and would like to come celebrate in the life he lived, that you join us for viewings at McNabb Funeral Home, 301 Frederick Road on Monday Oct 10th at either 2-4pm or 6-8pm. Church service for Dad will be Tuesday the 11th at 10am at Catonsville United Methodist Church 6 Melvin Avenue.
In lieu of flowers, our family asks that donations be made in his name to ALS.org It looks like our team fundraiser page from earlier in the year would still allow you to do so. https://donate.dc.als.org/team/410565
