I concur with the "go visit him soon" recommendation. Be there for his family and his other friends, and be there for him, which is something you can't do at a memorial service.
You asked about similar experiences. My father lived seven months after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, and my uncle, a lifelong nonsmoker, received a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer a few weeks before my father died. In both cases, respective kids and grandkids made the effort to go visit them, and I think my final talk with my father did him as much good as it did me. My cousins and my brother are likewise glad they did not miss these opportunities.
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069
Last edited by John E; 01-07-16 at 12:48 PM.