Do you ever recover from the sudden death of a parent?

It's hard - I'm not sure you ever get over it. It just becomes easier to bear as time goes on. I still miss my Mom and she's been gone for over 15 years.

It really varies on the individual but I'm inclined to say, you never get over the missing and memories of a sudden death of a parent but you can recover. Time allows the hurt to lessen a bit but you will always miss them in your heart.

I don't think anyone really recovers from any type of sudden death. It's hard enough to deal with a death you know is eminent but when it is sudden, the initial emotion is shock and then grieving. Whereas in a death of a parent who has been sick or ill, there is no shock emotion, but initially grieving.

Losing a love one is never easy and you may never get over it. I lost my dad at age 7, my sister at age 19 and my mom at age 20. Losing each of my loved ones was difficult but losing my mom was the worst. ... keep reading →

I agree with what suziecat7 said. My dad passed away almost 10 years ago and while I miss him every day, I know I'm not as much of a mess now. It took me 8 years to be able to talk about him without breaking down into tears, but it's easier now. Also, depending on how the parent died, maybe talking to a therapist would help.

It depends on how independent you have become. When my father died suddenly, I could take it because I had become an adult myself. Life slowly weans away from the grief.