(no subject)
Today I attended my first in-person funeral in over two years. I've done a whole bunch of streamed funerals in that time, including for my own cousin, which I desperately wanted to attend but couldn't, so it felt like quite a big deal to be able to attend in person today.
Today's funeral was for the husband of my dad's cousin, which doesn't sound like a particularly close relationship, I know, especially considering that my dad has (or had, they aren't all alive still) something like 56 first cousins, all told. But this particular cousin is one we've always been very close to, as a family - she and her husband have been more like an uncle and aunt to me than anything else. So I was invited to attend, and considered it my honour. I was very, very fond of Peter. His death last month was expected, he was 84, had heart trouble for years, and had been failing for several months, but it was and is deeply sad.
It was a lovely service. Peter would have hated it, because it was all about him. He was the quietest, most deeply reserved man imaginable, hated being the centre of attention. At any event, he was always in the background, trying to avoid being noticed. It's hard to find a photograph in which he isn't wearing a pained 'oh no' expression. Give him a hug and kiss and he'd get all embarrassed. But the service today was just so full of love, so many people standing up in tears to talk about how this gentle, reserved little man who always liked to hide in the background had very quietly made such an enormous difference in their lives, just by being kind and thoughtful and generous, by noticing them when they were struggling and reaching out to offer words of support and encouragement, by never hesitating to help out when help was called for, by always being there for anyone in need.
Rest in peace, Peter. You were very loved.
This entry was originally posted at https://llywela.dreamwidth.org/1056125.html. Please feel free to comment either here, or there using OpenID.
Today's funeral was for the husband of my dad's cousin, which doesn't sound like a particularly close relationship, I know, especially considering that my dad has (or had, they aren't all alive still) something like 56 first cousins, all told. But this particular cousin is one we've always been very close to, as a family - she and her husband have been more like an uncle and aunt to me than anything else. So I was invited to attend, and considered it my honour. I was very, very fond of Peter. His death last month was expected, he was 84, had heart trouble for years, and had been failing for several months, but it was and is deeply sad.
It was a lovely service. Peter would have hated it, because it was all about him. He was the quietest, most deeply reserved man imaginable, hated being the centre of attention. At any event, he was always in the background, trying to avoid being noticed. It's hard to find a photograph in which he isn't wearing a pained 'oh no' expression. Give him a hug and kiss and he'd get all embarrassed. But the service today was just so full of love, so many people standing up in tears to talk about how this gentle, reserved little man who always liked to hide in the background had very quietly made such an enormous difference in their lives, just by being kind and thoughtful and generous, by noticing them when they were struggling and reaching out to offer words of support and encouragement, by never hesitating to help out when help was called for, by always being there for anyone in need.
Rest in peace, Peter. You were very loved.
This entry was originally posted at https://llywela.dreamwidth.org/1056125.html. Please feel free to comment either here, or there using OpenID.