Assistant to the Head Gardener, Redwood Farm - - - Working backward, in the end, Tad Carlsen lived unapologetically on his own terms.
With a lifestyle misunderstood by most and distained by many.
In a country that does not provide healthcare for those that choose this level of simplicity, it is what led to his early departure from this world. Having never been aware of the condition that would ultimately take his life, perhaps he lived more peacefully.
Surely had he known, and been unable to treat what ailed him, would have made his last months/days/years perhaps a bit more disheartening. This we will never know. What we do know is this, Tad was the kindest and most loving of human beings.
His passions were animals and his family. The most important being his nephew, Aidan Spillane, and two nieces, Athena and Sandra Willey. Oh sure, he loved his two remaining siblings, Jobbie Spillane and Carol Willey, but those relationships were far too fettered with familial angst and a lifetime of judgements and confrontations. The children he loved unconditionally.
Those who only knew him in his adulthood might be surprised to know that he was mathematically brilliant and once a nationally ranked swimmer. Those who only knew him back in his school days might be surprised to know he chose a life so overly simplified, one might incorrectly assume he was indigent. (The folks at the funeral home certainly did.) The simple life that Tad lived was spent, for the last 20 years, in the company of his closest friend and roommate, Ralph Digman. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Gene and Diane (nee Olander) Carlsen and older brother, Wade Carlsen.
He will spend his eternity in the curio cabinet with the rest of the deceased family members until his sisters come up with something better to do with them all. (Insert comical shrug)