Funeral..

[fajrdrako]

I went to a funeral this evening of a man I've known since 1978, the father of a friend. I learned today he was the same age as my mother, who died in 1982, right about this time of year. They were both born in 1914.

It was a nice service, with any reference to religion carefully excised, held in the chapel of the funeral parlour - which has a vaguely churchlike atmosphere, but no explicitly religious symbols were present. There were two musical selections played, both beautiful: a piece from the Santana recording Abraxas, and Lili Marleen.

I learned that he was a fan of Perry Mason, which I'd never known. That was the first show for which I ever had a fannish love. I was six at the time. My mother and I used to sit together on the couch and watch it on Friday nights, trying to guess each itme who the murderer was. I hardly ever watched TV in those days, so it was a great treat.

By the doorway, they had a large replica of one of the Chinese stone soldiers from the antique tomb. I was reading the information about it with interest, and saw that it was donated to the funeral home by Tsin Van, who used to be one of the photographers for the Ottawa Little Theatre. Small world. Lovely statue.

Comments

[dewline.livejournal.com]

I'd wondered what the other tune was. Thanks much for clearing that one up!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I knew because while I was talking to Hildegarde, someone asked her. She didn't know - her brother Mark had chosen the music, but it was a piece their father had particuarly liked. So Hildegarde asked Mark and he explained it was from the Santana recording.

[filkferengi]

Your mom was born a year before my grandmother, but died in her 60s like my mom, also too young. It's great to have fun memories to share, though.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

My mother had a good memory, and for various reasons remembered a lot of things that happened before 1920 - which is the year her father died. I used to love listening to those stories. It was like listening to history, except she had lived it.

I miss her but I'll always have her stories.

[filkferengi]

It's great to have that panoramic perspective. My mom was born in 1941, so we were almost more like contemporaries in some ways, there only being 22 years between. I had the cool mom, who enjoyed rock [and folk, and opera, and...]

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

How wonderful to have a mother to share those things with! My mother was 40 when I was born - well, actually, 39 years and 11 1/2 months old, so you got two generations to our one. She was pretty cool, too - I don't think I could have chosen a better mother, or one more compatible with me.

[meret.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* and thank you!