Celebration of Life

Kevin had requested that his body be donated back to the Medical Center that provided him such good care in hopes of furthering research with cancer. Therefore we will not have a traditional wake/burial, but instead will have a celebration of his life. Kev always enjoyed a good party, so this one is for him.

Thursday, Oct 30 at 5:00 pm
Lakewood Yacht Club
2425 NASA Parkway
Seabrook, Texas 77586

Dress is business casual - no black suits allowed. Can you imagine Kev hosting a party with black suits?

Hotels are still hard to come by, so for anyone travelling from out-of-town, please contact Laura Merritt (laura.r.merritt@nasa.gov , 832-260-4321) and she will set you up with some wonderful housing courtesy of folks from work and the sailing club.

The format is open, but I’m thinking some music, a slideshow of photos and time for anyone who would like to share a few stories. Jay McAndrew (msjaym@gmail.com , 713.504.3360) is taking care of organizing this. Please contact her if you’d like to say something - I think this will be the best part.

RSVP is not required, but we would like an estimate just to make sure we have enough food and seating. Once you know you’re coming, just drop Kathy Goethe (algoethe@earthlink.net , 281-844-7010) a note and let her know how many will be attending.

Thanks everyone and we hope to see you in a few weeks.

Kev's Flag

The folks at NASA-JSC flew a flag over the Mission Control Center (MCC) today in honor of Kevin.

The Lead International Space Station (ISS) Mission Engineering Room (MER) Manager, Ryan Prouty,  opened the MRR with the following words:

"Many of you in this room and on the net had the pleasure of working with and knowing Kevin Pehr. As you know he has been battling melanoma for years. He passed away Saturday morning at home with his family. I wanted to take the time to ask that you keep Deneen and their children, Nick & Kelden, in your thoughts. As you walk out the building today, the flag above the MCC is flying in Kevin's honor, and will be presented to his family. Knowing Deneen & Kev, they would not want people to dwell on the sadness of losing a friend, not to mention a great engineering mind, but to take heart in your own personal treasures. Enjoy your family & friends, and always put the best of you into everything you do. That is what Kev always did."

We went and saw the flag this afternoon and I couldn't help but notice the clear skies and strong wind holding it up. I could feel Kev's presence as we stood and watched and thought of a poem that reminds me of him.

One ship sails East,

And another West,

By the self-same winds that blow,

Tis the set of the sails

And not the gales,

That tells the way we go.

Like the winds of the sea
Are the waves of time,
As we journey along through life,
Tis the set of the soul,
That determines the goal,
And not the calm or the strife.

   --Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Kevin Pehr 1963-2008

Kev passed away at his home early this morning.

He came home Thursday evening - and although he wasn’t responsive, I think he really enjoyed the 30+ mile ambulance ride from the hospital. Hospice was very understanding to our situation. They knew that neither Kev nor I wanted him in an in-patient hospice facility, but they had hard rules against IV drug use at home. Somehow they were able to work it all out. They provided 24-hr continuous nursing care, but on Friday night they could not get a nurse to cover the night shift. Apparently, none of those available felt qualified to administer the array of IV drugs he required, so I took the shift. It was nice that at the end it was just me and him together in his room as his breathing gradually slowed and he drifted peacefully into his next adventure.

We will be having a celebration of his life and I will post details for anyone wanting to attend. Since I know many will be travelling from out of state, you’ll have at least a couple weeks notice.

Thank you to everyone for the outpouring of love and support. It is such a great comfort to us and I know it meant so much to Kev to know his family was being cared for when he wasn’t able to do it himself.

I already miss him terribly.

Love Deneen 

short update

First, thank you for all the wonderful comments - especially all you C-17 guys - its great to hear from you.  I've relayed all your messages on to Kev.

Kev’s condition has deteriorated a bit in the last couple days. He is essentially unresponsive now, but at least he has no pain or discomfort. He is receiving round-the-clock scheduled doses of pain and anti-anxiety meds. I’m working with Kev’s Drs to get him transferred back home with Hospice. They believe that he is holding on for something and have encouraged us to say our good-byes and let him know it’s OK to move on. They think relocating him home will provide a familiar comfort that will allow him leave us behind. The main obstacle is that home hospice does not normally work with IV drugs. We are currently trying to figure out if an adequate alternative means of transfer exists or if we can just break the rules. Kev was never one for rules so you know which one I'm hoping for.