He was plagued by kidney stones, debilitating toothaches, a bad elbow, and chronic sinus infections. He regularly battled colds, and his smoker’s cough worsened. Once lean and hatchet-faced, he was paunchy.He attended to his legacy like a man in a hurry. His studio still produced five films a year, and Disney was hands-on with most of them. He retreated even more into his work and shrugged off social engagements. “I don’t know how much time I have,” he said. “I need to stay here to do as much as I can to keep this enterprise twenty-five years ahead of the competition.” But he was lonely.His daughters were grown, with families of their own. Sharon had given him one grandchild, and by 1963, Diane had six children – one she named for her father, Walter Elias Disney Miller. Walt enjoyed his grandchildren, who spent a weekend a month with him on Carolwood. “We’d play on the lawn and around the great big pool,” granddaughter Joanna later recalled. “We’d stack up the patio furniture to make jets and rockets.
