Yesterday was cool. Corri (my sister) and I left her place at 5:15am for our trek to near Laconia, NH. We got there just before 1pm, changed into our funeral clothes, and headed to the funeral. There, we mingled with the children of Poppy's (my late grandfather) wife (he divorced my father's mother a while back and remarried a woman, Moppy, with eight children) and then the service began.
I haven't been to many funerals that I remember, just those for my father's parents, Gram Marta and Poppy. The funeral went quick. We recited some Psalms, sang some hymns, and went through the standard fare. Then, the time arose for family and friends to share about Poppy. My father, unexpectedly, went up and shared a bit of laughter and tears. His sister, Zalla, had written a poem, but gave it to my Dad to read. I've seen him cry before, but it had been a while. Up at the podium, he fell apart a bit and had to regrain composure before he could continue. It was very humbling to see a man--whom I view as strong, hard, and sometimes cold--fall apart.
My uncle Hank also wrote a poem for Poppy. I'm going to try to get ahold of these so I can post them. I'm also going to try to find some photos and add those.
My grandfather was in the U.S. Navy. Part of the funeral was filled with Navy tradition. After the family and friends had their time to share, Taps was played. My uncle, a Captain in the Navy (due to retire in September), was presented with a folded U.S. flag, as is seen in the movies. He then presented it to Poppy's widow. It was all very moving to see the tradition first-hand for the first time. Then, the funeral was over.
Following the funeral, there was a reception at a local country club. We ate and mingled and generally had a good time. There was, though, a moose head hanging on the wall over the table where we were sitting. My cousin Andy was concerned that it might drool on him.
After the feast, we headed back to the place my parents were staying and tried to decide what to do for dinner. We ended up picking a local restaurant for it's reputiation of a good seafood chowder, though I would hear nothing of it, as seafood and I disagree. Dinner was filled with fond memories of Poppy, laughter, and joy (I'll try to post some of the more memorable stories later). It was great.
Thus ended my trip to NH. Corri and I drove back to Syracuse the next day.
UPDATE (8/16/01): I forgot our after dinner activities! After dinner, we headed up to a beach to spread Poppy's ashes. We all walked out onto this little beach area and we said our good-byes. It was very nice to experience that with Poppy's children: my Dad and his sisters. I'll miss him.
