SUBMITTED PHOTO -- Mick Nieman with his family before his life was cut short by Alzheimer's in December, 2014 at the age of 66.
gslade@medicinehatnews.com@MHNGillianSlade
The family of a local man whose life was cut short by Alzheimer’s is holding a memorial event in his honour and to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s Society.
The event takes place on Aug. 8 with a golf tournament at Cottonwood Golf Course in the morning and a banquet that evening at Ralph’s Texas Bar and Steak House.
It is an opportunity to honour Mick Nieman, who was taken away “way to soon”, said Nicole Ambrose, one of his daughters who is helping to arrange the event. Raising funds for the Alzheimer Society will assist the organization in continuing to provide support to those who have been diagnosed, their loved ones, to raise awareness in the community and help remove the stigma associated with the illness.
Nieman was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in May 2011 at the age of 63 and passed away in December 2014 at the age of 66.
“It was devastating for our family… and devastating for him,” said Ambrose.
Ambrose describes her Dad as having a huge personality. He’d been a policeman for 25 years and was a rancher.
“He was a very generous man. He would go out of his way to help people… touched so many lives,” said Ambrose.
Wendy Weiss, another daughter also helping to arrange the event, says her dad had an infectious laugh that had others laughing with him and the ability to connect with people. He was humble, generous and hardworking.
“I think my Dad lit up any room he entered,” said Weiss.
When someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s they and their loved ones can benefit hugely from reaching out to the Alzheimer Society. Staff can help them understand the disease and connect with those who have similar experiences, said Weiss. There is comfort in being able to talk to others going through similar experiences.
The illness can be very different for each person and staff at the Alzheimer Society have a wider perspective that can be very helpful, she explained.
Connecting with staff at the Alzheimer Society is also valuable for friends of someone who has been diagnosed if they feel unsure about how to interact.
“I think people don’t want to hurt feelings, they don’t want to offend …. and sometimes just pull away altogether,” said Weiss.
Having a father who was larger than life in many ways made it particularly hard to observe his personality changing as the symptoms of Alzheimer’s increased, said Ambrose.
The golf tournament on Aug. 8 is already at capacity but there is still space for the banquet at Ralph’s and you can donate prizes for the golf tournament or make a cash donation. They are also still looking for volunteers to help with many tasks such as helping participants adhere to the COVID guidelines.
You can follow the Mick Nieman Memorial event on Facebook and you can also contact the organizers by email: mickniemanmemorial@gmail.com.
