quote:

As mentioned earlier he was surrounded by family in his home when he died. Grace Hospice helped us keep him comfortable; he received the Sacrament of the Sick (“Last Rites†“Extreme Unction“) and all of his kids got to speak with him just prior. The last words he heard were from me “Well done sir, well doneâ€.

The funeral was NOT a sad somber event, but was instead a sung Requiem Mass. He was then given a proper Military Burial including a volley of fire performed by the VFW using M1s (very fitting for him), taps were played on a real Trumpet by his grandson David and the very sharp Color Guard was flown in from Missoula. After the blessing of the grave and the lowering of the coffin, his family put a layer earth on him, followed by scoops of chips from his shop (some of his last work), roses, an unspent M1 round, and three dollar bills (money due for an hour’s worth of work at his original price). To conclude the ceremony “As the Saints Come Marching In†was played by David, my dad always thought a jazz funeral was the way to go. The rest of the day was spent celebrating his life at the Burgess ranch with a Keg of his favorite beer “Kokaneeâ€, good food, target shooting, Blue Grass/Folk Music played by family and friends, and lots of stories and tall tales.

I believe everything went as it should and my dad would approve.