A Funeral Lunch

Today was that funeral I mentioned a couple posts back. It was scheduled for 10:30 a.m., so we of the lunch committee needed to be there by 9 a.m. or so to get things ready. We had set tables up yesterday afternoon, along with the centerpieces, coffee cups and creamer packets, silverware wrapped in napkins at each place, etc. This morning we mixed up the scalloped potato dish, filled pitchers with water and lemonade, cut butter sticks, and received all the salads and desserts that were brought in, keeping a list of who brought what. That's traditional at funerals at our area churches------people coming to the funeral bring a dish, usually a salad or dessert. We also call a list of our own church people to bring a dish, too. That way there is plenty to eat.

We serving ladies walked together to the church narthex to view the deceased. He had been in very poor health for a couple years, and had been disabled years ago due to a fall from an apple tree. He had served in World War II, and there was a frame full of medals by his casket, including a purple heart. He had been born on the summer solstice and had died on the winter solstice. I had a chance to quickly hug his wife, an admirable, super-nice lady, before we got seated in church.

We serving ladies always sit in the back at a funeral, so we can duck out early. Today, halfway through the service, one of the funeral home guys suddenly sidled into the pew and started whispering in my ear. He said the truck hauling the vault for the casket had gone in the ditch, so the lunch would start immediately following the funeral, instead of after the committal service in the cemetery (which is right behind our church building). So we got up right away and returned to the parish hall to get the food out on the serving table. Much to our surprise, there were about 15 men sitting at the tables when we got there. They were dressed in American Legion uniforms; they had come to do a military ceremony at the burial service. And that meant they would eat with us, too. Yikes, we hoped we would have enough of the potato hotdish.

It all turned out fine, and we had just enough food. We had to set up a couple more tables in the gym next door to accomodate everyone. There was lots of bustling around, getting coffee pots on the tables, keeping pitchers filled, fielding requests for more silverware or whatever------a typical funeral lunch. The family included several young grandsons, and I got a kick out of watching them choose their desserts.

Clean-up went quite well. A few ladies came late just to help with that. I was trying to wipe tables and kept getting caught up in conversations with various people I hadn't seen for awhile. Husband, much to my surprise, had shown up at the funeral and helped with putting tables and chairs away. I figured he wouldn't get done with barn chores in time.

When I finally got home, I flopped right down and took a nap. Its nice to help with funeral lunches, but it really shoots a day.