After waiting over a month since his passing, we finally got to have a funeral for my brother, Wayne. Goeksel and Funda had lots to do to get everything in order for coming to the US. They brought Wayne's ashes with them and got here last Wednesday, the 12th. A nice retiree from Delta brought them from Salt Lake as far as McCammon, where we met them and picked them up. They stayed with us that night.
We knew we didn't have much free time with them, so we asked them if they had ever been on a snowmobile. The answer was no, so Val took them on a short ride outside of town. Funda loved it! I think Goeksel did, too, but didn't show it quite as much. That night Funda wanted to help cook dinner. She is a fantastic cook. Thinking of when we were in Germany 7 years ago, my mouth still waters over the thought of her homemade Turkish cuisine. So she made a yummy veggie skillet dish and a cherry nut cake, which were to die for.
The next day we left early for Mud Lake. The funeral was very nice. There was a bigger crowd than I thought there would be. Beside the immediate family, there was lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins. Some of Wayne's classmates showed up and it was pretty fun to see them. I remember looking up to my brothers and I paid attention to who their friends were.
At the cemetery we laid him to rest beside mom and dad. The weather cooperated. It was cold, but thankfully, not a blizzard or way below zero.
All of my kids made the effort to be there, and it meant a lot to me.
All of us after luncheon.
We stayed at Gary's house that night and had a great time visiting, eating, and playing "Just Dance" on the Wii game. The next day we did a little shopping on the way home. Goeksel and Funda picked up a few things at Real Deals, Toy R Us, and Costco to take home with them to Germany. They also took us out to eat at Texas Roadhouse (pictured above). The next day we took them to Salt Lake to catch their plane out. It was a real treat to have them stay with us and to get to know them better. They are truly family... and they will feel the pain of missing Wayne more than any of us here will. It was a week of good times, hard times, great times. As Aunt Fern put it, "I would've hated to miss Wayne's party." And it really was a party.
