When I was 16, we went through a period of losing several older family members in a few short months including my granddaddy and a few great uncles on both sides of the family. While funerals are a very sad, somber time, they are sometimes the source for unexpected humor, and unexpected humor makes for great memories.
“We are at the wrong funeral!!”
My older brother was trying to tell my mother at a funeral for my great uncle, “There’s a black man in the casket. We’re at the wrong funeral!” My great uncle had been on dialysis for many, many years, and his skin had darkened significantly as a side effect. This explanation did not suffice for my brother.
During the service, the preacher who didn’t really know my uncle kept referring to him as Walter. “Walter was loved by his family. Walter was a good man.” His name was Clyde. My brother whispered to my mother again, “We are at the wrong funeral!”
Then the preacher stated, “Walter proudly served his country in the army during Vietnam.” To which my grandmother in her oh-so-graceful way declared out loud, “He wasn’t in the army! He was a diabetic!”
To this day, my brother is convinced he attended someone else’s funeral.
The Unknown Niece
When one of my dad’s uncles passed away, we loaded up to go to the funeral. I didn’t really know this uncle very well, but I wanted to be there for my dad and the family. It was a small, sweet service. At the closing of the graveside service, the preacher went around to each person and said something sweet. “Your husband loved you more than anything in the world.” “Your dad was a good man and loved you very much.” Then he got to me. He took my hands in his, searched my face, and after a long few moments said, “I honestly have no idea who you are, but I’m sure he loved you.”
Late for His Own Funeral
Another uncle on my dad’s side passed away during the same time period. I wasn’t there, but my parents describing the day’s events were priceless. It was a small graveside service. The family assembled, and they were ready to begin except there was a problem. Our uncle was nowhere to be found! The hearse had gotten lost and was late.
The family waited for a while, but the funeral director told them there was another service scheduled to start in thirty minutes. The options were to begin the funeral without our uncle or to join in with the next family. Join in with the next family? Have you ever heard of anything so hysterically ridiculous? So they started the service, and the uncle’s casket eventually arrived. According to my parents, the preacher never skipped a beat but only paused long enough to say, “And here he is now!”
Leave it to a Phillips to be late to his own funeral.
Another uncle on my dad’s side passed away during the same time period. I wasn’t there, but my parents describing the day’s events were priceless. It was a small graveside service. The family assembled, and they were ready to begin except there was a problem. Our uncle was nowhere to be found! The hearse had gotten lost and was late.
The family waited for a while, but the funeral director told them there was another service scheduled to start in thirty minutes. The options were to begin the funeral without our uncle or to join in with the next family. Join in with the next family? Have you ever heard of anything so hysterically ridiculous? So they started the service, and the uncle’s casket eventually arrived. According to my parents, the preacher never skipped a beat but only paused long enough to say, “And here he is now!”
Leave it to a Phillips to be late to his own funeral.
