The Rest in Peace Thread (RIP)

Trollheart · 02-14-2017, 02:31 PM

Thanks to you all for your messages of support and sympathy. Auntie Eileen was laid to rest, at age 99, this morning, with her parents and sister. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest days to get through since my mother passed away 26 years ago, and the moreso for Karen, who was of course in the wheelchair, but I must thank and compliment everyone involved, who made every effort to have her included and not feel like she was a problem, from the church which had a disabled access ramp, to Sean our taximan who ferried us there and back (and for much less than it should have been) and the staff of Kirwan's Funeral Home and Mount Jerome cemetery, the former of whom even graciously moved the hearse so that Karen could be as close to the graveside as possible.

There were moving tributes, including a few poor words from me, much love and respect and the meeting of some old friends. Everything was handled beautifully and we can have no complaints about any aspect of the service or the burial. Auntie Eileen is at peace now; a devout Catholic, she was one of the few who actually led a Christian life, giving without asking in return, always there, and so self-effacing you would not believe it. My remarks ended with a quote from Robbie Williams (yeah but), well a paraphrase really, but very true of her: she was one of God's better people, and she didn't know, and that was what made her so special. She believed in Jesus, she believed she would be admitted into Heaven when her life was done, and whether she was right or wrong, if Heaven does exist they certainly would have welcomed her with open arms on Saturday morning.

Now the hard part is over, and we are left with our memories mixed in with our sorrow at her loss. It will get better, slowly, and today I think we took the first step in reaching that point.

Thanks again for all your wishes. I'll be back real soon.
TH

Trollheart · 02-14-2017, 04:18 PM

Someone's having far too much fun at my expense today! Out of an ipod with 160 GB on a Shuffle playlist, these songs have all played one after the other...

"Who's crying now?" - Journey
"Since the last goodbye" - Alan Parsons Project
"Death is not the end" - Nick Cave
"The ghost of Tom Joad" - Bruce Springsteen
"Nobody home" - Roger Waters

Trollheart · 02-15-2017, 09:30 AM

Damn! It happened again when I went out.
"Heroes never die" by Mostly Autumn
"Never ending night" by Arena
"The window of life" by Pendragon.

Also, I seem to be seeing more of those "leave something for your loved ones/sort out your funeral expenses" ads these days. I know this happens on daytime TV and I've been exposed to them for months, but somehow it just makes it more poignant and affects me more in the light of her loss.

02-14-2017, 02:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Thanks to you all for your messages of support and sympathy. Auntie Eileen was laid to rest, at age 99, this morning, with her parents and sister. I can honestly say it was one of the hardest days to get through since my mother passed away 26 years ago, and the moreso for Karen, who was of course in the wheelchair, but I must thank and compliment everyone involved, who made every effort to have her included and not feel like she was a problem, from the church which had a disabled access ramp, to Sean our taximan who ferried us there and back (and for much less than it should have been) and the staff of Kirwan's Funeral Home and Mount Jerome cemetery, the former of whom even graciously moved the hearse so that Karen could be as close to the graveside as possible. There were moving tributes, including a few poor words from me, much love and respect and the meeting of some old friends. Everything was handled beautifully and we can have no complaints about any aspect of the service or the burial. Auntie Eileen is at peace now; a devout Catholic, she was one of the few who actually led a Christian life, giving without asking in return, always there, and so self-effacing you would not believe it. My remarks ended with a quote from Robbie Williams (yeah but), well a paraphrase really, but very true of her: she was one of God's better people, and she didn't know, and that was what made her so special. She believed in Jesus, she believed she would be admitted into Heaven when her life was done, and whether she was right or wrong, if Heaven does exist they certainly would have welcomed her with open arms on Saturday morning. Now the hard part is over, and we are left with our memories mixed in with our sorrow at her loss. It will get better, slowly, and today I think we took the first step in reaching that point. Thanks again for all your wishes. I'll be back real soon. TH __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-14-2017, 04:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Someone's having far too much fun at my expense today! Out of an ipod with 160 GB on a Shuffle playlist, these songs have all played one after the other... "Who's crying now?" - Journey "Since the last goodbye" - Alan Parsons Project "Death is not the end" - Nick Cave "The ghost of Tom Joad" - Bruce Springsteen "Nobody home" - Roger Waters __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

02-15-2017, 09:30 AM	#3 (permalink)
Trollheart Born to be mild Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: 404 Not Found Posts: 26,996	Damn! It happened again when I went out. "Heroes never die" by Mostly Autumn "Never ending night" by Arena "The window of life" by Pendragon. Also, I seem to be seeing more of those "leave something for your loved ones/sort out your funeral expenses" ads these days. I know this happens on daytime TV and I've been exposed to them for months, but somehow it just makes it more poignant and affects me more in the light of her loss. __________________ Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018