funeral flowers

funeral flowers, originally uploaded by hedgiecc.

This is a simple marker of a sad event - my Dad passed away in the early hours of 30th April. He was 81 years old and in extremely poor health; a late stage of a blood cancer with no hope of recovery - peacefully passing on with no pain was a blessing. He was a fighter to the end - cheerful and positive; desiring to lessen the trauma for others. He probably would not have lasted so long without my mother's immense strength and will-power simply willing him on - we worried she wasn't accepting the inevitable but when he time came she took the decision to withdraw medical intervention herself.

The funeral service was simple and beautiful - the priest officiating was an old family friend (87 himself) and I found I really needed his professional support through the ceremony. I wasn't expecting the actual mechanics of the funeral to be so upsetting, but unfortunately I had a row with the extremely obtuse undertakers about delivery of the coffin 15 minutes before the due start of the service. 'Six Feet Under' emphaticially they were not.