I've spent the day thinking about the good time and there was a grave side service today and about 20 of us were there that play in our golf group. He also like to float the rivers and fish. We went a few time and had fun on the river also. It was a good day for me to grieve a little and celebrate his life.

Wordywalt's response is good and it seems we all pretty much agree that suicide is a very sad way to go, but that quality of life is also very important and we would like to see 'assisted dying' as more accepted in society. As healthcare continues to get better and we all continue to live longer, I imagine that death with dignity will become more accepted, possibly even by the religious as they believe they are going on to a better eternity. They will find a way that the bible justifies it. They always do.

I'm sorry for your loss but your friend gained release from his suffering so you should feel happy for him to be free of it now. A life with pain is hard to live and when your health is fading I'd rather go on my own terms than try and hang on as long as I could. With the quality of life being severely diminished what's the point of living? I'd choose to check out on my own terms after I've said my goodbyes to family and friends.

Sorry you lost your friend but, glad he chose it on his own terms. Celebrate your memories of him as long as you remember him he still lives in your memories and in the lessons he taught you. Choosing his own time is lesson we all should learn from.

I'm so sorry you've lost your friend.
While it is certainly very sad, many of us may live to the point where the quality of our life isn't in our eyes worth continuing any more.
Assisted suicide or what the state of Oregon calls the Death with Dignity Act have been touchy and controversial subjects for some time.
I, like you Optimistic, agree with his decision and believe it should be legal everywhere, not because I knew him but because he knew himself and knew it was time.
We miss those we have lost, but they still live in our memories

As long as he didn't make a big mess and the body was found fairly quickly, way to go old man. After 85 years and his brain is still functioning, I believe he was mature enough to make that decision.

My mother died of what in laymens terms is called "bird facier's disease". Basically it is where the body is allergic to bird dander which gets into the lungs and causes irritation and inflammation and a build up of scar tissue in the lungs which preent oxygen from reaching the blood stream. Probably the most known condition that it resembles is asbestosis, whihc causes similar problems due to inhaling asbestos fibers. The end results are the same. A person literally slowly suffocates to death over a period of many years. It is a terrible way to die. My mother's religion (Mormon) forbids suicide, and so she suffered for many years of agony trying to get enough oxygen.

Having witnessed the above, I think a sufferign individual should be able to decide on their own when the suffering is too much for them. Especially if they have an incurable and/or chronically progressive condition.

In such cases, you always miss the person, but over time you tend to remember the best times you shared. Due to my mother's prolonged suffering, i remember her suffering, and no other images come to mind. So, the question is how do you want tot remember people when they are gone?

You have good memories of the time you shared with your friend,but if the last few years of his life was seeing him in constant suffering, that may be what firs comes to mind when you think of him, clouding out any good memories you may have.

Sorry that you lost a friend. I completely understand his decision , and feel I will do the same if the situation one day warrants it.

In fact, I've devised a method. All one needs is a generator. You can set it up inside a place you like. You can include your pets (unless you have a plan for them), and any others that might want to exit with you. Hell - you can party awhile first ! You can eat your last meal, have music playing - all that. Take aspirin, to ward off a Co2 headache. Start the generator (hopefully a push button start, in case you're weak), and get comfy.

You'll get sleepy in the first 20min or so, and eventually pass out quietly. As the Co2 builds up in the room, in another 20-40 minutes, you'll be gone. No mess, no nasty scene for others to come upon.

I am 80 years old and applaud his decision. Unless I die suddenly, if I reach the stage of being a burden on others and having little quality of life, I plan to do the same. Of course he will be missed, but his life was his, not yours.