It was a bitter/sweet day when Daddy walked me down the aisle on June 10th. Daddy spent two months in the hospital with Mom at his side...He died on October 15, 1961, age 54...He left this earth, a wealthy man, not in money, but because he was remembered as a good neighbor, hard worker, honest in dealings, and most of all because of his love for family.
Although “Celebrations of Life” were not done in the 60’s, after Daddy’s funeral we did celebrate his life. Back at the new home, friends and neighbors arrived with food, enough to feed a small army. Family and friends joined together eating, talking and laughing as we reminisced about the many good times in Daddy’s life, his accomplishments, his sense of humor, his kind heart and his straight forward thinking. He was a jovial person, never giving up, always ready to start over. We talked about and shared the many sayings that peppered his everyday speech, and the swear words he used to express himself.
That evening Mom and we five “kids” returned to the cemetery to pay our respects and say our last goodbyes. I noticed the sign on the gate leading into the cemetery it said “Dead End”. My Dad would have thought that extremely funny and it struck me that way as well. Daddy never wanted to be buried but cremation wasn’t common then. He didn’t like the idea of being put in a cement vault in the ground, and said, “I don’t want my body turning to jelly instead of dust, why don’t you just sharpen my head and pound me into the ground like a post?” We laughed over this idea while he was still alive. Many times after a long work day, he would make the remark that with his luck he wouldn’t get to rest after he died, because resurrection would probably come on the day after. That didn’t happen and maybe in the ensuing fifty years he has been able to rest.
Now when I’ve been at the cemetery for short visits, I hear whistling through the trees, his voice murmuring: “They did it anyway; dressed me in a suit and tie, put me in a God Damn cement box and covered me with dirt. Not my choice.”
I wish we had at least dressed him in his bib overalls!.. Hugs to All...OWAV:)
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