I think there was a sign. He always had some Dr. Peppers he kept in the house as a treat and didn't want anyone else to touch. As a family we decided to do a little toast to him with them, and as we did it and remarked how flat they were due to being out of date (he liked flat soda) there was a sudden rumble of -loud- thunder very close to the house just seconds after the toast. There had been no thunder that day or any indication of storm, and no more for the rest of the evening. I think maybe we got a laugh out of him.