So last night, at 10:55PM, while I was holding my Dad's hand, he passed away. He had been gasping for breath all day. I arrived from Spokane at about 5. Mom tells me she thinks he was waiting for me to arrive before he stopped fighting.
I sobbed several times as I talked to him. He wasn't responsive in a normal way, but as I spoke, his breathing became easier.
My mom, aunt, and sister were exhausted, as they'd been there round the clock, so mom and Sherry (my sister) dozed off, and I held Dad's hand, and stroked his head, so he knew I was there. His breathing settled down, until he stopped, and I couldn't find a heartbeat.
I haven't cried since he died, but writing this, coming close.
I spent all day working with Sherry on paperwork and preparing the stuff for the national cemetery in Scottsdale. He was a 20 year veteran in the USAF. This is hard, but he died completely peacefully.