I just got back home from going to Virginia this weekend for my parents' memorial and funeral services. We lost my mom at age 88 to congestive heart failure on October 16, 2020, followed by my dad on December 27 at age 93 from complications from pneumonia. With the pandemic raging, we had to wait for the vaccine to be available to bring together our extended family and my parents friends to remember them.
We interred their ashes Saturday afternoon following a memorial service at their church that morning. Afterwards, we had a reception for all with a Dixieland Band and a second-line parade which was a spirited and fitting send-off.
Thought it was a nice coincidence that this transpired on the first official Federal recognition of Emancipation Day, aka Juneteenth. They are free in the universe now.
My mom's birthday was the day before on Friday, and of course today being Fathers' Day, I'm thinking about my Old Man.
Thanks for the vibes Mark. It was a really beautiful weekend, more of a celebration, as with the long wait between their passing and these ceremonies, my siblings and I had all had time to process our grief. I know we all gained a sense of closure.
Their ashes were interred at Pohick Church, considered the oldest in Northern Virginia, which counted George Washington and George Mason among it's early vestry. Once their tombstone is placed, I'm sure there will be return visits. They have one extra space in their plot, so if I remain single, they told me I am welcomed to join them in eternal repose. I've always planned on being cremated and having my ashes scattered in a few places with sentimental import to me, so we'll see.
The service was at St. Andrew & St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Alexandria, which was their final congregation, and the reception after the interment at Pohick Church was on the grounds of Gunston Hall, George Mason's nearby home. Most of my extended family, including my mom's surviving younger siblings, my Aunt Lydia and Uncle George, attended and stayed at the Alexandrian Hotel, four blocks from the Potomac River on King Street in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria. We rented a shuttle bus to get everyone easily around to all the events.
Another benefit of the delay was the opportunity to more thoughtfully coordinate the activities. At Gunston Hall, we had the Dixieland band and catered in many of my parents favorite Louisiana hors d'oeuvres and delicacies. The cold beer hit the spot on a warm muggy day. My siblings and I all gave brief remembrances and meditations to the gathering. We reserved an outdoor courtyard at the hotel's restaurant that evening where we had a more casual banquet with a tasty buffet selection and a fully stocked open bar.
It was all a nice time to reconnect with family and to respect my parent's final wishes. They would have loved it.
On a personal note, it was nice to experience the ending of the pandemic shutdown and the beginning of a return to normalcy. I visited the National Gallery Of Art on Friday, which was the first day our National Museums on the Mall were reopened. We were allowed to go unmasked, and almost all there were. Most everyone in Old Town was the same, a noticeable difference from Seattle, where masking outdoors still hasn't dropped out of vogue. The flight back on Alaska yesterday had beverage and food service for the main cabin, which must have just restarted, as we weren't offered that when I flew from Seattle last Wednesday, and they were still making announcements at the gate yesterday that they wouldn't have the food and beverage service. Everyone remained masked during the flight and in the airports, but otherwise, I saw little masking this week, and it felt entirely okay. I, for one, am ecstatic to put this dreadful era behind us.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: fishcane
Joni
Joni
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nTpsVKD4SX8
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: scott
Ian Dury
Ian Dury
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooPVuG8ZbNE
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Joe Buck is Back
Steve Kimock
Steve Kimock
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJrQeBXReaU
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Joe Buck is Back
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MD9DJtJLuxY
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Neil Young
Neil Young
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_XcTMhc0L70
I just got back home from going to Virginia this weekend for my parents' memorial and funeral services. We lost my mom at age 88 to congestive heart failure on October 16, 2020, followed by my dad on December 27 at age 93 from complications from pneumonia. With the pandemic raging, we had to wait for the vaccine to be available to bring together our extended family and my parents friends to remember them.
We interred their ashes Saturday afternoon following a memorial service at their church that morning. Afterwards, we had a reception for all with a Dixieland Band and a second-line parade which was a spirited and fitting send-off.
Thought it was a nice coincidence that this transpired on the first official Federal recognition of Emancipation Day, aka Juneteenth. They are free in the universe now.
My mom's birthday was the day before on Friday, and of course today being Fathers' Day, I'm thinking about my Old Man.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: MarkD
That's gotta be tough Dave.
That's gotta be tough Dave. Vibes.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Philzone Refugee
Thanks for the vibes Mark.
Thanks for the vibes Mark. It was a really beautiful weekend, more of a celebration, as with the long wait between their passing and these ceremonies, my siblings and I had all had time to process our grief. I know we all gained a sense of closure.
Their ashes were interred at Pohick Church, considered the oldest in Northern Virginia, which counted George Washington and George Mason among it's early vestry. Once their tombstone is placed, I'm sure there will be return visits. They have one extra space in their plot, so if I remain single, they told me I am welcomed to join them in eternal repose. I've always planned on being cremated and having my ashes scattered in a few places with sentimental import to me, so we'll see.
The service was at St. Andrew & St. Margaret's Anglican Church in Alexandria, which was their final congregation, and the reception after the interment at Pohick Church was on the grounds of Gunston Hall, George Mason's nearby home. Most of my extended family, including my mom's surviving younger siblings, my Aunt Lydia and Uncle George, attended and stayed at the Alexandrian Hotel, four blocks from the Potomac River on King Street in the heart of Old Town, Alexandria. We rented a shuttle bus to get everyone easily around to all the events.
Another benefit of the delay was the opportunity to more thoughtfully coordinate the activities. At Gunston Hall, we had the Dixieland band and catered in many of my parents favorite Louisiana hors d'oeuvres and delicacies. The cold beer hit the spot on a warm muggy day. My siblings and I all gave brief remembrances and meditations to the gathering. We reserved an outdoor courtyard at the hotel's restaurant that evening where we had a more casual banquet with a tasty buffet selection and a fully stocked open bar.
It was all a nice time to reconnect with family and to respect my parent's final wishes. They would have loved it.
On a personal note, it was nice to experience the ending of the pandemic shutdown and the beginning of a return to normalcy. I visited the National Gallery Of Art on Friday, which was the first day our National Museums on the Mall were reopened. We were allowed to go unmasked, and almost all there were. Most everyone in Old Town was the same, a noticeable difference from Seattle, where masking outdoors still hasn't dropped out of vogue. The flight back on Alaska yesterday had beverage and food service for the main cabin, which must have just restarted, as we weren't offered that when I flew from Seattle last Wednesday, and they were still making announcements at the gate yesterday that they wouldn't have the food and beverage service. Everyone remained masked during the flight and in the airports, but otherwise, I saw little masking this week, and it felt entirely okay. I, for one, am ecstatic to put this dreadful era behind us.
Top of Page Bottom of Page PermalinkFull Name: Def. High
"Old Man"
"Old Man"
by Love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDn5kBn3iaU