Well we buried my wife’s grandmother Friday. It was a country funeral. I know I am read by quite a few Yankees, and displaced Yankees who do not know proper funeral etiquette so I decided to explain how the process works.
She died on a Wednesday at home. They called the funeral home folks and they came directly out. The family who owns the funeral home has owned it for 5 generations. They have made taking the entire burden from the family and making it theirs, their policy. They will do anything you ask and make any concession to ease the grief of the family. They did just that for my wife’s family. A soft-spoken 20-year-old man in a suit came out with the team to get the body. He gave everyone there the impression that he truly cared and wanted to make it as painless as possible. I give him a 10 out of 10.
I asked him what their hours are, he said someone from the family is at the funeral home 24 hours a day 7 days per week 365 days per year, holidays included. I asked why. He said his great grandfather said, If he needed a funeral director in the middle of the night he would want a reassuring voice on the other end to take care of his needs, and if that is what he would want that is what everyone deserves”. So that is how they have done it ever since.
The viewing was on Thursday.
Before we went over to the funeral home there was a lunch brought over from the church that they went to, lts of food
My daughter who is 4 sent a bouquet of buttercups and these were put in Grandmothers hands. It was a hard time lots of crying.
Friday was the funeral
Granddaddy was at the funeral home at 8:00 am for the 2:00 pm funeral. An older gentleman spoke for about 10 minutes. He was very plain spoken and not syrupy, I actually liked what he had to say. Usually funeral speakers are a pain in my rear they all say the same thing and leave you wanting to punch them, but this guy was good. I latter found out he cannot read, he never learned how. He listens to the bible on tape and has memorized much of it.
The funeral procession.
In the county and much of the south you pull your car over to the side of the road and stop as the procession passes. Men on the street stopped walking and waited for us to pass with their hats in their hands. A guy on a riding lawn mower stopped clearing his leaves. It was very respectful. One guy did not stop. I checked as he passed, he had a Florida tag on his car, everyone commented latter that those Florida folks sure don’t know how to act.
The funeral was short and then the family went to the fellowship hall at the church. This is done so that the family does not have to witness the filling of the grave. We had another huge lunch and then we went to Granddaddy’s house.
We sat and told funny stories of Grandmother and laughed. Then some tears would fall. Then we all laughed at something else.
Granddaddy got up one time and stared out the window and said almost to himself. “How much hog meat do you reckon that woman cooked in her lifetime?
I did not know what that meant so latter I asked my wife. She said that for 40 years until he retired she got up every morning at 4:00 and fried pork chops for Granddaddy’s lunch. He worked in the coalmines; I guess this is how she showed him her love and how he interpreted it.
They were married 56 years.
She died on a Wednesday at home. They called the funeral home folks and they came directly out. The family who owns the funeral home has owned it for 5 generations. They have made taking the entire burden from the family and making it theirs, their policy. They will do anything you ask and make any concession to ease the grief of the family. They did just that for my wife’s family. A soft-spoken 20-year-old man in a suit came out with the team to get the body. He gave everyone there the impression that he truly cared and wanted to make it as painless as possible. I give him a 10 out of 10.
I asked him what their hours are, he said someone from the family is at the funeral home 24 hours a day 7 days per week 365 days per year, holidays included. I asked why. He said his great grandfather said, If he needed a funeral director in the middle of the night he would want a reassuring voice on the other end to take care of his needs, and if that is what he would want that is what everyone deserves”. So that is how they have done it ever since.
The viewing was on Thursday.
Before we went over to the funeral home there was a lunch brought over from the church that they went to, lts of food
My daughter who is 4 sent a bouquet of buttercups and these were put in Grandmothers hands. It was a hard time lots of crying.
Friday was the funeral
Granddaddy was at the funeral home at 8:00 am for the 2:00 pm funeral. An older gentleman spoke for about 10 minutes. He was very plain spoken and not syrupy, I actually liked what he had to say. Usually funeral speakers are a pain in my rear they all say the same thing and leave you wanting to punch them, but this guy was good. I latter found out he cannot read, he never learned how. He listens to the bible on tape and has memorized much of it.
The funeral procession.
In the county and much of the south you pull your car over to the side of the road and stop as the procession passes. Men on the street stopped walking and waited for us to pass with their hats in their hands. A guy on a riding lawn mower stopped clearing his leaves. It was very respectful. One guy did not stop. I checked as he passed, he had a Florida tag on his car, everyone commented latter that those Florida folks sure don’t know how to act.
The funeral was short and then the family went to the fellowship hall at the church. This is done so that the family does not have to witness the filling of the grave. We had another huge lunch and then we went to Granddaddy’s house.
We sat and told funny stories of Grandmother and laughed. Then some tears would fall. Then we all laughed at something else.
Granddaddy got up one time and stared out the window and said almost to himself. “How much hog meat do you reckon that woman cooked in her lifetime?
I did not know what that meant so latter I asked my wife. She said that for 40 years until he retired she got up every morning at 4:00 and fried pork chops for Granddaddy’s lunch. He worked in the coalmines; I guess this is how she showed him her love and how he interpreted it.
They were married 56 years.
