The weekend was long... maybe too long. It kind of began Wednesday when Maryanne and I headed up to Door County. The drive went well, and the day was pretty uneventful.
Thursday was Grandpa's funeral. The visitation went well; it's hard to believe that only two of his siblings are still alive. I didn't get too emotional until the funeral service itself. Military honors were being provided by the local VFW, Post 3088. They had lined up in one of the other rooms. Maryanne asked me why they were lined up. We found out shortly when one by one they approached the casket and saluted.
Pastor Olson performed the service. He did a nice job. The scripture readings were nice, and the sermon was succinct. Our family has indeed been through a lot in the last six years or so, the highs of two weddings and the lows of two funerals and a house fire, and Pastor Olson was there along with us. The service concluded with the playing of a recording of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and the Lord's Prayer. Jim, my uncle David, my cousin David, and I served as pall bearers.
The weather was good enough that we decided to go ahead with the service at the gravesite. The burial was at Bayside Cemetary, where Grandpa's mother is buried. One of his brothers is also buried there, and it turns out the plots are adjacent. The VFW group provided the military honors, firing a gun salute and presenting Grandma with a flag from the Federal government, and a medallion from the state. The brass from the gun salute was collected and given to us, as well. Pastor Olson conducted the burial rites, and a bugler from the VFW post played Taps.
With the services and rites concluded, the immediate family gathered at the Neighborhood Pub for lunch. We didn't do much else the rest of the day, which is probably just as well. The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful as well, as it was spent mostly in spending time with the family.
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