He meant the world to us, a quiet man, a puzzle solver, a canny farmer and a skillful craftsman. My father’s skill with puzzles and words was cut short by Alzheimer’s years before his body died. He became our “world without words.”

Materials used in No Word include a remnant of Mom’s tea towel, black and white photos of my dad, and a faded image of Dad as he loses definition from Alzheimer’s.