Norman Woman Spends Final Moments With Her Father In Hospice Care During Tornado

Cheryl Flippin, a Norman resident who was hit by Sunday’s tornado, spent her fathers final minutes worrying about the storm.

The Norman community is now picking up the pieces after Sunday night's storm. There’s still a lot of work to do.

“Our back fence is gone,” said Flippin, who lives in the neighborhood the tornado hit. 

“We were fortunate otherwise,” Flippin said. 

Flippin feels more fortunate than some of her neighbors, who woke up this morning with their roof gone.  

“I think the after-feeling is almost worse than the feeling you had before,” she said. 

Flippin lost something too, precious time with her father.

“His name was Pearlie,” Flippin said. “You could never have met a nicer, more humble person.”

Pearlie was receiving hospice care, living his final moments at home.  

“It wasn’t what you’d plan the last two, three hours to be like,” Flippin said. 

“He passed away at midnight [Sunday] here at the house,” Flippin said. “There was nothing else anyone could do at the time but sit with him and hold his hand, and so, that’s 

what we did.”

This storm took a lot of things away from people, but it didn’t take away Flippin’s memories. 

“You know. He lived a good life,” she said. “He was 88.”

Flippin will remember her father fondly as her neighborhood rebuilds.

“Everyone always loved him,” Flippin said.