Sunday, June 29, 2008

the family funerals

with Missy & Jenn losing an aunt this weekend I have been thinking about funerals and how very hysterical some of my family funerals have been through the years. We have been fortunate and not had so very many but the ones we have had you could sell tickets-no really.
However the more I thought about(and laughed) and considered blogging about some I realised the only one who reads my blog that would find them funny would be my brother because well
a) he's been to all of them and
b) he knows all the players
but then I remembered Chris might enjoy one as his brother who was my brother's best friend in high school came along to my grandmother's funeral. Why you would purposefully drive to NY to go the funeral of a woman I don't think he ever met? I'm sure there was a reason at the time but it escapes me a this point. Patrick jumped right into the receiving line with the rest of us confusing more than one relative wondering who the red headed kid was. Hell he might have even wound a pallbearer for all I remember!
The funeral home was in Queens run by the stereotypical NY Italian guy Vinnie or something equally ethnic sounding and for added flavor the wake going on in the other room was like a bad episode of the Sopranos and perhaps we should leave it there. I'm not even going to start in on the relatives that neither my hubby or my SIL have even met yet. Ah well they married in too late to escape now..

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sure this one, like our others, will involve some humor as well as tears. In fact, it's already started, if you read Kaylea's blog anyway. I just need a popsicle... they make everything better. Really. Be ready for a 4 martini lunch when we get back... this should give us blogging material for ages!

Chris Curtin said...

My favorite story from a funeral also involved Patrick. At my Mom's Dad's wake the three of us (older brother John, me and Pat) were kneeling down praying and Pat says:

'Gotta love that you inherit your hair from your Mom's side of the family'.

My Grandfather had a full head of thick hair when he died. My Dad's father was bald as a queue ball.

All three of us started to laugh and tried to keep a straight face until we left the main wake room.

My mom's sister came up to us and asked what was so funny. Pat told her and she started laughing as well.

Another wake involved one set of cousin's hitting on another set until they realized they were related. No names on that one, but I wasn't involved ;-)

Chris D said...

I too think about it and I am not sure exactly how I will be. Hopefully I will maintain my witty humor, at my funeral I wish to wear a clown nose and have a fart machine hooked up to a pressure sensitive near the coffin. Really no kidding, I'd rather send them out laughing not crying.

Jennilu said...

Let's just put it this way, I am taking my "Good Flipflops" so that I will fit in. That phrase came from an Uncle's funeral a few years back. I will have to tell you the story sometime.

overtly trite said...

good flip flops huh?
more than several years ago we were going to a wake in Sevierville & I fussed at D for not wearing a tie-he just laughed and asked me where I thought I was going?
Sure enough good overalls were the dress of the hour...
we were so over dressed