Did Syd's father...

... take his own life due to an incredible amount of pain from an enduring illness? The discussion and misunderstanding between Syd and her Mom (in the beginning) left me thinking that Syd was devastated by her father's death, and that she essentially held her Mother responsible for not being there for him when he was at his worst. When Syd's Mom refers to her husband as having "passed away", Syd gets extremely upset and responds with, "Is that what you call it?" She also questions why her Dad "left her", even though "he knew" she was researching treatment options for him. All in all, it sounded as if he most likely took his life once he was convinced that Syd and Syd's Mom were strong enough to move forward without him.

After communicating with her Mom, Syd learns that her Father didn't want her Mother changing her life for him, or changing the things that she so enjoyed doing (socializing, etc), even though Syd's Mom would have gladly sacrificed those things to stay by her husbands side 'til the end. That isn't what he wanted.

I've watched this movie many times, but this was the first time that it all fell into place for me with regard to the back story of the actual dispute between Mother and Daughter. I have to say... the writer's certainly went to great lengths to gloss over this portion of the movie. Thoughts?