knowing when its time to call it quits

[SE Minnestoa Re]

I have been a white hat for 28 years and have had to "have the talk" with two of my crew mates.

The first was when I found out he had a stroke over the summer and neglected to let me know. When his daughter called and told me, it was over for him. He was extremely gracious and understood. We remained friends until he passed away.

The second was our linesman who I suspected had early onset dementia. He was not nearly as understanding but his wife was very helpful. He is now in a home for advanced dementia patients.

I think it helps that I am a department head at work and deal with HR issues regularly. But it is always hard to tell one of your friends that his time on the field is up.

I hope someone treats me the same way when it is time for me to go and I don't get it.