A Funeral In Lindsay

We left Thursday morning for Lindsay, about a five hour drive in good weather and traffic conditions, and returned Friday afternoon.  Deb's mom passed away September 14th, and it was now time to lay her to rest, so to speak.  Her body had been cremated earlier, so it was mostly a small get together of family and close friends.  The one problem with living to 94 years of age is that you don't have many friends left by the end.

Deb had prepared a small speech, and two other women spoke as well.  The gathering was at Mackey Funeral Home in downtown Lindsay, in the chapel and adjoining room.  Deb had also prepared a slide show to run continuously in the background, and she made a 2 1/2 minute film of images of her mom from early childhood to a much more recent photo.  Set to music, it really was a professional job.  She also had some framed photos laid out for viewing.

Neither of Deb's two older sisters were able to make it.  Sharon, the oldest, is herself in a LTC home after suffering a major stroke earlier this year.  And Stephanie, the middle sister, is amidst selling her home in Merida, Mexico.  However, all 5 grandchildren came, all boys.  Four of them came from Alberta and Saskatchewan, and another from North Bay, ON, where he lives and takes care of Sharon.  It was the first time in about 30 years that all the cousins were together.

The gathering, speeches, and film were all very well done, with many stories being told of Lois' wilder days.  The short film was a big hit, and a very moving experience.  The whole thing lasted about 1 1/4 hours, and afterwards the 5 boys, Deb, and I went to a large pub next door for food and refreshment.  That was a fun gathering!

Deb and her nephew bodyguards in Lindsay.  From left is Kevin, youngest son of Sharon (he is growing his beard for Halloween, for his costume as Hagrid).  Next to him is Blake, Sharon's oldest son, who lives in North Bay, ON.  Then come Steph's three sons, Colin, Jeff, and Darrell.

Lindsay is a canal town, with some fine walking paths.

The canal lock in downtown Lindsay. 

Next morning was the interment of the ashes at the local cemetery.  Autumn colours were in full splendour, the morning was grey and chill.  Colin, Darrell, and Jeffrey made it to the cemetery with us.  That only took about 15 minutes altogether.  We were shown the grave of Lois' mom and dad by friends Mary Ann and Jack in the same cemetery.  Lois' mom had died back in 1975.  After that the three boys left for Toronto airport, then Deb and I had breakfast with Mary Ann and Jack (both Tolkien and fantasy fans).  We left for home about 11:30 am and arrived home shortly after 5 pm.

Lois and Ted are back together.

Lois' mom and dad, and Deb's grandparents. 

Autumn colours were peaking on our trip to Lindsay. 

I'll be back soon with our regular programming.

Mapman Mike