# The moment of Ronald Reagan's Death **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 9, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549 "2004-06-09T23:31:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/1 "2004-06-09T23:31:45Z")
I just thought this story was so very touching. I heard other newscaster’s tell what they heard about President Reagan’s last moments, one saying he hadn’t opened his eyes for months and immediately after he did, he breathed his last breath. > [@](#): > > “At the last moment, when his breathing told us this was it, he opened his eyes and looked straight at my mother,” the 51-year-old daughter of the late president wrote. “Eyes that hadn’t opened for days did, and they weren’t chalky or vague. They were clear and blue and full of love. If a death can be lovely, his was.” For me, being a believer in God and knowing Mr. Reagan was also a believer, I feel as if God spoke to him telling him it was “time” and he allowed him as well as his wife to take in that moment together. One of the most beautiful stories I’ve heard in a long time. Quote taken from this [CNN](http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/07/reagan.davis/) site ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/2 "2004-06-09T23:40:09Z")
And the glurge begins. Next we’ll be reading stories of Reagan appearing on tortillas and in splashes of mud on the sides of buildings or the gnarls of a tree trunk. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/3 "2004-06-09T23:54:23Z")
You’re such a ray of sunshine, Otto! 😉 You know, my sister, (who is a nurse), says that dying patients sometimes seem to get “better” right before they die. This story (if it is true) sounds very much like that. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2004, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/4 "2004-06-09T23:59:36Z")
The ‘looking better’ effect happened to my grandad immediately _after_ he died - all the conecntration and frustration of Alzhimers vanished, and he looked like he always looked. I can certainly see how people who want to find a supernatural element can identify that as a part of it. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/5 "2004-06-10T00:51:11Z")
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really care if Patti Davis wants to believe RR had a moment of clarity before he died. The idea that a decade of deterioration suddenly went away for a moment before he died is, to be charitable, medically unlikely, but if it brings her comfort then I’m not going to say she shouldn’t have it. What I object to pre-emptively is the idea that this is going to turn into some “proof that God loves his children” bullshit. OK, let’s assume God exists and that as a parting gift to the family, he gave RR a moment of clarity immediately before his death. For those who believe in God and especially for those who believe in God and who have lost a family member to a long deterioration, do you feel like a moment of clarity would be a fair trade for a decade of suffering for both the patient and the family members? Given a choice between the two, I’ll take the “no ten years of suffering” over “moment of clarity on deathbed” either as the patient or the family member. Kind of mean for God to make RR and Nancy and the kids and others who loved and cared for them go through a decade of hell for a moment of clarity. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/6 "2004-06-10T01:00:04Z")
I thought this was going to be a “Where were you?” thread. And, in case anyone’s wondering, I was pulling into the Menards parking lot when I heard about Mr. Reagan’s passing on the radio. ---
**Author:** ![dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dreamer)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/7 "2004-06-10T02:32:39Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > What I object to pre-emptively is the idea that this is going to turn into some “proof that God loves his children” bullshit. OK, let’s assume God exists and that as a parting gift to the family, he gave RR a moment of clarity immediately before his death. For those who believe in God and especially for those who believe in God and who have lost a family member to a long deterioration, do you feel like a moment of clarity would be a fair trade for a decade of suffering for both the patient and the family members? Given a choice between the two, I’ll take the “no ten years of suffering” over “moment of clarity on deathbed” either as the patient or the family member. Kind of mean for God to make RR and Nancy and the kids and others who loved and cared for them go through a decade of hell for a moment of clarity. Yes, in fact my Father passed away last December after a Stroke in which the Doctor’s gave him no chance of being able to communicate or get out of bed ever again. My Family had to make a decision to take him off life support and let him go. The few moments we had together while I watched him starve to death meant the world to me and I will never forget them. He suffered. Everyone suffers in one way or another but to those who believe in God and eternal life a “moment of clarity on a loved ones deathbed” is very, very important and meaningful. This is not a thread for debating the existence of God. I’m sure there are quite enough of them in Great Debates if that’s what you feel led to do. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/8 "2004-06-10T02:42:48Z")
With respect, your situation is not the same as that of the Reagan family. And I’m not debating the existence of God. God doesn’t exist. There’s no debate. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/9 "2004-06-10T02:54:59Z")
Witnessing belongs in GD. Whether it be atheist witnessing or evangellical witnessing. ---
**Author:** ![if6was9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@if6was9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/if6was9)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/10 "2004-06-10T03:09:28Z")
when I heard about it, anyway… i danced a jig. You want a moment of clarity? It was when he realized he was leaving this sweet life and heading to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/11 "2004-06-10T03:12:42Z")
One way or the other that’s uncalled for. Me? I was in the car pulling out of the local multiplex parking lot having just seen ‘Prisoner of Azkaban’. BBC was running a ‘history of Reagan’ and I turned to Lady Chance and said, "Uh oh…this sounds like an obit.’ ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/12 "2004-06-10T03:13:18Z")
> [@Silver Fire](#): > > I thought this was going to be a “Where were you?” thread. > > And, in case anyone’s wondering, I was pulling into the Menards parking lot when I heard about Mr. Reagan’s passing on the radio. I first heard about it from [CNN.com](http://CNN.com) when I check the internet news around the middle of the day. My thought process “Hmm…Ronald Reagan died. Oooo, J.Lo got married again.” ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/13 "2004-06-10T03:43:02Z")
My paternal grandmother died of Alzheimer’s. Moment of clarity my ass. I’d be shocked if Reagan’s brain was able to process such complex things as ‘woman’ or ‘face’ in the moments before he died. I went out to the kitchen during the whole caisson and riderless-horse-with-backward-boots thing. When I got back, some speaker was discussing how Reagan had died with dignity. I suppose that this is true if you consider spending the last few years of your life moaning, grunting, drooling, and with no control over your bowels or bladder to be dignified. I did agree with various commentators who said his death was also something of a relief for his family. Ronald Reagan has been dead for years. Now his family can finally bury him. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/14 "2004-06-10T04:08:13Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > I did agree with various commentators who said his death was also something of a relief for his family. Ronald Reagan has been dead for years. Now his family can finally bury him. Headline in this week’s \*Onion{/i]: “Reagan’s Body Dies” That about sums it up. ---
**Author:** ![Kaotic\_Newtral](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@Kaotic\_Newtral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaotic_Newtral)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/15 "2004-06-10T04:31:06Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > My paternal grandmother died of Alzheimer’s. > > Moment of clarity my ass. > > Ronald Reagan has been dead for years. Now his family can finally bury him. I’m with you here. Both of my paternal grandparents died while in the midst of Alzheimers, neither knew who they were or where they were. It was…sadly, a relief when they died. They hadn’t had clarity in 5 years, no less the last seconds of life. Knowing that the disease is in my family I shudder when I think about how I may go. -K ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/16 "2004-06-10T06:34:50Z")
Just IMHO, **Otto** (and you know I like you) you’re way out of line on this one. That smug “There _is_ no debate” line was every bit as uncalled for as the Jehovah’s Witness who showed up on my doorstep yesterday. A lot of people (not me, but a lot of people) are upset over Reagan’s death. You may be pissed off that he’s being canonized because he’s dead. It doesn’t mean you should shit all over something that may be bringing somebody else comfort. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/17 "2004-06-10T07:55:33Z")
I’d like to ask both **Otto** and **if6was9** to show a little decorum, please. There’s no shortage of pro- and anti-Reagan threads on this board. I’m sure you’ll find one to your liking. But this is not it. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/18 "2004-06-10T07:56:34Z")
Yet you have nothing to say to **if6was9** … Odd, especially when you claim to defend those who are getting emotional about this man’s death. And let’s take a look at this, shall we? > [@](#): > > From Otto (bolding added) > Don’t get me wrong, I don’t really care if Patti Davis wants to believe RR had a moment of clarity before he died. The idea that a decade of deterioration suddenly went away for a moment before he died is, to be charitable, medically unlikely, **but if it brings her comfort then I’m not going to say she shouldn’t have it**. Call me crazy, I don’t really see this as “shit[ting] all over something that may be bringing somebody else comfort.” Sure, the “There is no god, period” thing may have been a bit much. But, IMO, leaping for joy and singing the praises of a man’s death, especially **this** particular man in **this** particular thread, is far worse than denying the existence of god. But maybe that’s just me. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/19 "2004-06-10T07:58:53Z")
Damn it, **Coldfire**! It’s like 3am\*, I wasn’t expecting anyone to post!! [sub]Quite obviously, my above post is directed at RNATB, NOT Coldfire[/sub] [sup]\*I know, I know… you’re from, like, somewhere other than America…[/sup] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2004, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549/20 "2004-06-10T11:15:08Z")
Here I thought I _was_ showing a little decorum. Just not, you know, much. Seriously, apologies to anyone who might’ve taken offense to my “atheist witnessing” as it was so eloquently put. Not my intention in posting. Truly I was only objecting to the glurge factor in the OP. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-moment-of-ronald-reagans-death/249549.md?page=2)