Yeah, he was Catholic. The funeral Mass is actually at 11:00, which is a reasonable hour; it's just that the visitation/eulogy is immediately beforehand (9:00) -- and there's a private visitation for the family that's even before *that,* hence the 8:00 a.m. Grumble.
It seems like most of the funeral masses I've attended are at 9:00, and usually we go to the funeral parlor beforehand, at 8:00 (even though there's been a wake there the day or so prior). It's way too early.
Not yet. Caretaker!Aunt called me and we had the world's shortest funeral-planning conversation, as follows:
Heh. Well, that's good. No time for fighting. The priest may pick the passage you're reading.
Once again, glad I'm not Catholic.
I think I've told this story before, but my mom's funeral home (okay, that sounds weird, but I'm not sure how to say it) has an arrangement with a nature conservancy, and they plant a tree for each person during the year, then each year they have a memorial ceremony there. My sister and I drove seven or eight hours to go.
It was in September, misty and drizzling, and they had a piper on a pier on the other side of this small lake from where the ceremony was. It about broke us.
Family sure is tiring.
Yeah. And death is exhausting.
My dad will have Taps played at his funeral. That'll be tough on me. I learned how to play it on the harmonica when my Mom died and wore her dogtags.. (She was a WAF).
My dad will have Taps played at his funeral. That'll be tough on me.
My granddad was in the Army in WWII -- but I don't think Taps is going to be part of the service. He used to sing the Ballad of the Green Berets all the freaking time (no, he wasn't a Green Beret; he just liked the damn song), and if there was any dignified way to work it in, I'd be campaigning hard for it.
I think I need to buy a funeral-appropriate blouse tomorrow. Meh.
My uncle had Taps and a 21-gun salute at his funeral. We were all quietly mourning and then INCREDIBLY FREAKED OUT because most of us had never attended a military funeral before, and didn't know that the 21 guns (loaded with blanks, but still) are pointed not at the sky, but at the mourners. It was unnerving to say the least.
the 21 guns (loaded with blanks, but still) are pointed not at the sky, but at the mourners.
Ack! That would freak me WAY the hell out.
They did the 21 guns and Taps for my father and FIL. Taps is really tough. The guns were pointed in another direction though.
{{Steph}} You'll be in my thoughts.
{{{{{{{{{{Teppy}}}}}}}}}}}
Nifty bio P-C.
I'm pretty sure Funeral Salutes are NOT supposed to be pointed at people. That's weird.
And, IIRC, they aren't technically 21-gun salutes, although 21 shots are fired (3 shots, seven riflemen).
I heard Taps AND Amazing Grace and the funeral salute at my dad's funeral.
Taps used to be one of my favorite tunes.
