Dad's Funeral

I don't know why I feel the need to stay up all night now and catch up on my blog. Of course, I won't be caught up, but will be done writing about dad's passing and can try to catch up later with some much happier moments. The post below this one is a poem that my Aunt Beverly wrote for our family. She is so talented and pretty much captured that day in a nutshell - thanks Aunt Bev. And, thanks Nicole, for the pictures you posted on your blog. Since I wasn't carrying a camera at all that week, I took the liberty of using your pictures. I hope you don't mind.

We made the decision that dad's funeral would be on Saturday - June 14th (Flag Day). Michael, Jonathan, and Christopher all had to leave on Sunday for two week Summer Camp at Dugway for the National Guard. Also, there were many that needed to get back to jobs and family. My family had a trip planned to Lake Powell - a time share on a houseboat - but contrary to Grandma Carol's belief - that was not the reason the funeral was planned for Saturday. However, I really feel like we were blessed as so many decisions had to be made and so much planning had to be done, that everything came together so well. Karen, Steven & I all spent the next couple of nights with mom as we waited for other family members to arrive. We had some REALLY late nights - we could not sleep and stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, talking, reminiscing, laughing, and crying. We really missed & almost called Kelly both nights to come and join us - since he lives in St George he got to stay in his own bed. On Thursday morning we met at the mortuary to make some very difficult decisions about the program, picking out the vault, the casket, the guest book, flowers, etc. When we walked into the room full of caskets, we all, mom especially, had some difficult moments. However, it was so amazing that when we saw a cedar wood casket with pine trees embroidered in the lid - we immediately all knew that it was the right one for our dad. It was perfect! The programs were easy to pick out as well - the only one that had an eagle on the cover - but it was beautiful. It is hard to remember everything that was accomplished in such a short amount of time - and it is hard to remember everyone that helped. Aunt Katherine & Aunt Beverly were wonderful support and helped to keep us all fed. Everyone pitched in to get pictures scanned and ready for a slide show, but David, especially spent many hours putting it all together. I know I will forget to mention somebody or something, but I just want to say that I feel so lucky to belong to such a wonderful family. We have our moments, just like any other family, but I felt so much closeness that week with my brothers and my sister. I love you guys! I know we are going to continue to be there for each other during the difficult months ahead. The funeral went very well - lots of memories, lots of laughter, and lots of tears. After the funeral, mom's ward had prepared a very nice lunch for all of us at her ward building. From there, we all left for Richfield to attend the graveside service. I was amazed at how many people came. What a great tribute to my dad. It was a beautiful day - warm & sunny. I really did feel a sense of peace as Steven dedicated the grave. It was still very difficult to say goodbye. I took a yellow rose from dad's casket - my cousin Heidi had given me a beautiful glass box to keep the rose in to help me always remember. There were so many friends & family with so many acts of kindness, plants, cards, & thoughts. After the graveside, we all met at our house where my ward had prepared a light supper - sandwiches, chips & salads. There we visited more and found comfort in each other's memories. By the time everyone left, the exhaustion finally hit me and I was done!