A lot of them spoke of Uncle Verl's fondness of Mt. Trumball and the Arizona Strip. Since they couldn't take him there to be buried, they brought Mt. Trumball here to him. This bucket was full of dirt from Mt. T. and each of the family members got to put a shovelful of dirt under his casket. Then they had a bucketful to put on top of the casket. Very ingenious, I thought.
Aunt Ada is putting her dirt under Verl's casket. My double first cousin- once removed, Jerry, is standing in the way. (or would that be doubley once removed- or could it be once removed twice over?)
My mom's arm, and my grandma. In case you aren't family, and somehow are here by accident. My g-ma, Myrtle, is sisters with Ada. Verl is brothers with Dee (my g-pa). Dee married Myrtle and Verl married Ada. Whah laah... Double second cousins with everyone at the funeral!
What was really weird, was seeing all these other 2nd cousins with the same eyes and faces as a lot of my 1st cousins. It was like we were related somehow.
Uncle Eddie adding his dirt.
I remember's: Uncle Verl as the announcer at the races every year at the Van Leuven Reunion saying, "On your mark, get set, wait a minute...I didn't say go..."; his PA system he'd always bring up; him announcing the talent show Sat. evening at the reunion; jokes-lots of jokes and laughter; getting a ride to a reunion with him one year; him umpiring the women's and men's softball games at the reunion; him playing horseshoes; his little 90cc motorcycle he'd ride everywhere and wave as he went by; him at all the sporting events; following my 10-yr-old boyfriend,Carl, on his newspaper route delivering to Uncle Verl's house; the Hiland Dairy milk truck all over town; the swing he built in his yard with four swings that would go around in circles (similar to the Yo-Yo at carnivals) that was my favorite memory; he's the one that gave me directions to the "swing" hanging on a tree on Kaibab, We had been searching for it for 3 summers till I asked him where it was,"Go down, down, down till you can't go down anymore, there's a clearing, turn right there. Go down till you come to where the old mill used to be (????? it's not there anymore) and it's on the hill next to that." (Yes, we found it with THOSE directions.)
He was the last of his siblings to die, and his kids are sure there's a party goin' on right now...in Heaven.
2 comments:
What a beautifully written tribute to Uncle Verl. I wish I could have been there for it. I knew him long before I knew Doug and your family! He was just an added bonus when I married into the Alldredge clan. Uncle Verl was a wonderful man.
I would have totally been there but I'm rottenly sick and don't feel like a public appearance for another day or so! This germ's not getting spread!
You're welcome.
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