Filed under: 30 Day Challenge, Memorable Life Celebrations | Tags: 30 Day Challenge, life celebrations, memorial services
Andrew Ellis Winchell was only 31 years old when he died, but the fact that he lived to that age is a medical miracle. His life celebration at the Desert Springs Church helped his parents, brother, other family, and friends find comfort after the loss.
This comes from his life story as told in the program: While he was born a healthy child in 1979, at the age of two he hadn’t gained any weight or grown any taller that the year before. At four, he developed liver fibrosis, followed by kidney failure. He had a kidney transplant, cardiac arrest, and bone growth issues. Then in 2009 he was diagnosed with cancer, which was battled with surgery, as chemo was out of the question due to his transplant history. After eight weeks on hospice, cared for by his brother Mark, he died peacefully with Mark by his side.
Andrew was remembered as a talented artist in drawing, jewelry-making and photography. He graduated from Eldorado High School in 1998 and received an award voted on by the student body for the student who overcame the most obstacles to graduate. He learned to snowboard, and liked to cook and bake. He had a unique sense of humor that drew people to him, unlike others who experienced rejection because of their differences.
The speakers at the celebration of Andrew’s life were Pastor Ron Giese of the Desert Springs Church, David Kittle, a family friend, Bob Cote, a family friend and youth ministry leader, and Fred Snowden, a former pastor for the family. A call to the audience for personal stories about Andrew yielded only one speaker, a young woman who had been friends with him.
The speakers wove in quotations from Jeremiah and Ecclesiastes. They spoke about finding peace with God; that Christians embrace death, it’s not a thing to be feared; that Andrew waits for us in heaven and we’ll see him again. Fred Snowden issued the call to accept Jesus.
The event in a function room of the church was video recorded, something that is becoming more prevalent at memorial services. Around the room, examples of Andrew’s artwork, colorful T-shirts, and a collection of items with the Looney Tunes character Marvin the Martian were displayed. A photo-montage opened the event, and it closed with the blowing of bubbles, which Andrew loved to do. The approximately 75 attendees were given small bubble-blowing vials as they left the room. Outside, they released his spirit in a wave of colorful bubbles that floated skyward.
May the memory of Andrew Winchell be a blessing.
Filed under: 30 Day Challenge, Memorable Life Celebrations | Tags: 30 Day Challenge, memorial services
More than 800 people – family, friends, admiring public – came the the tribute service for Richard Abruzzo to celebrate his remarkable life. The outdoor event at the Anderson-Abruzzo Albuquerque International Balloon Museum provided a beautifully appropriate venue for the service.
He and his racing partner Carol Rymer-Davis disappeared during the Gordon Bennett gas balloon race somewhere over the Adriatic Sea east of Italy on September 29. Despite an intense search by Italian and international rescue crews, no trace of either the balloonists or their equipment has been found.
While the family didn’t want to call this a memorial service, in truth, that’s what it was. An invocation was provided by Rev. John Cannon of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe. There were moving eulogies by Richard’s two brothers, Ben and Louis, and by friends UNM ski coach George Brooks and former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson.
Abruzzo, 47, was remembered as a man who lived life to the fullest, with adventure, courage, love of family and friends. He had a positive outlook, lived well, and laughed often. He had a passion for cycling, skiing (both on water and snow), mountain climbing, and ballooning. He was a fierce competitor who made everything look easy.
Brother Louis said, “He was wearing out his guardian angels. They just couldn’t keep up with him. But God had a plan for him, saying I can use your free spirit and your warm outreach to all here in heaven. I don’t have enough guardian angels to keep up with your flying, skiing, and especially your driving, Richard. And he’s still flying and watching over you.”
Friend Gary Johnson said, “Richard set the bar and made us play our ‘A’ game. Let’s pursue our own passions as a tribute to Richard and grab life by the tail.”
Some of the interesting touches at this service included a string mariachi band playing music before the event started, a color guard presenting the US and New Mexico flags, a military band performing the national anthem, Abruzzo’s hot air balloon set up next to the proceedings, and two banks of white pillar candles next to the speaker podium that family lit before the event started. Flags of Italy, the US and New Mexico flew at half-staff, and smaller flags were placed throughout the museum and grounds.
There were about 600 chairs set up, and more than 200 people stood throughout the event. Before the event started, people were asked to turn off their cell phones. The City of Albuquerque and the Balloon Museum staff were both involved in setting up this event. The service received full local media coverage.
The event concluded with the invitation, “Let’s all meander inside for a big group hug and and enjoy the balloon museum.” Inside, a screen with a photo-montage of Abruzzo’s life ran on a continuous loop. A reception was held in an upstairs room at the museum.
May Richard Abruzzo’s memory live on.
Filed under: 30 Day Challenge, Memorable Life Celebrations | Tags: 30 Day Challenge
Going high-tech with video! Here’s an overview of why I’m attending 30 funerals or memorial services in 30 days, starting on October 30 – the 11th annual Create a Great Funeral Day.
Today’s Non Sequitur gives us a laugh about those automatic navigation systems.
The title caption is “The Inevitable Navigation System.”
The cartoon shows an automobile hood-first down in an open grave in a cemetery, and the navigator announcing, “You have arrived at your destination.”
One could say you have arrived at your FINAL destination. Enjoy the journey while you can, folks!
Entrepreneur.com just posted an article about “Weird Companies That Work,” and yours truly is featured as the first weird company. Here are the first few paragraphs:
A Good Goodbye
Description: A funeral event planning firm
Founder: Gail Rubin
Founded: March 2010
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.
Think of Gail Rubin as a modern-day Maude (from the cult film Harold & Maude). A breast-cancer survivor and former PR professional/event planner (as well as a part-time Pilates instructor), Rubin decided to give a light touch to a dark subject — death. Her startup venture, A Good Goodbye, is billed as a funeral planning business for those who don’t plan to die. Her target markets are “baby boomers and their parents, people who are recognizing their mortality, people in hospice, people who do HR for retirees, geriatric care managers and geriatric doctors.”
While her approach may be light-hearted, her message is timely. Advance funeral planning can save families hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars; reduce stress and possible family discord during a time of grief; and allow for a memorable and meaningful celebration of life service.
Click here to read the whole Entrepreneur.com article.
First postings on the “30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge” start tomorrow!
Filed under: End-of-Life Issues, Why Pre-Plan? | Tags: life celebrations, memorial services
Today’s Dear Abby column addresses the idea of living memorial services or life celebrations while a terminally ill family member is still alive.
Rabbi Albert Slomovitz wrote in that he had been asked by a funeral director to talk with the family of a terminally ill woman. He was impressed by her bravery and sensitivity in confronting her disease.
The family move up their celebrations of all holidays, secular and religious, plus birthdays and anniversaries, up on their calendars so that they could celebrate them all while Mom was still with them. This included decorating, serving food appropriate to each occasion, and even dressing up for Halloween.
Plus, the woman had invited members of her family to come visit, to give them quilts she had made over a lifetime and to say goodbye in person. She described these visits as a “living wake.”
Rabbi Slomovitz said, “Let loved ones know today how important they are to you. If there is a way of resolving a family disagreement, do it as soon as possible. Life is too short for many of these disagreements. Finally, appreciate and enjoy the time we have with family, relatives and friends. It is truly irreplaceable.”
Dear Abby replied that the rabbi’s letter had touched her deeply, and she shared a poem that was a favorite of her mother’s. Anyone know if there’s a name to credit for the unknown author of this poem?
THE TIME IS NOW
Author Unknown
If you are ever going to love me,
Love me now, while I can know
The sweet and tender feelings
Which from true affection flow.
Love me now
While I am living.
Do not wait until I’m gone
And then have it chiseled in marble,
Sweet words on ice-cold stone.
If you have tender thoughts of me,
Please tell me now.
If you wait until I am sleeping,
Never to awaken,
There will be death between us
And I won’t hear you then.
So, if you love me, even a little bit,
Let me know it while I am living
So I can treasure it.
Now here’s a creative way to handle cremains from cremation!
Today’s Close to Home cartoon features the caption “Friends and family scatter the ashes of famed hairstylist Enrico Simone.” The artwork shows a woman pointing a running blow dryer over a platter of cremated remains held by another woman. The group is out in the woods, so you can see a generator providing the power for the blow dryer.
Given the amount of ashes a typical cremation generates, they may be blowing for a while! Hope they have that generator well fueled up.
Today’s Pickles cartoon features a conversation between grandson Nelson and Grandpa Earl, related to aging and death.
Nelson: “I wish things would always stay the same.”
Earl: “What do you mean?”
Nelson: “I wish dogs and grammas and grampas wouldn’t get older and die.”
Earl: “Well, to tell you the truth, I kind of wish grandsons could stay little boys forever. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it works, is it?”
Nelson: “Except in comic strips!”
So, are you living in a comic strip world? Yes? No worries!
If pets and parents are aging and dying, chances are, you are living in the real world. Have a conversation about what those you love want done with their bodies when they give up the ghost.
Four more days to the launch of the “30 Funerals in 30 Days Challenge”!
This Monday, October 25, you can listen to some interesting conversations about funeral planning for those who don’t plan to die, not once but twice!
At 5:40 a.m. Mountain Time/7:40 a.m. Eastern Time, I’ll be speaking with Bulldog and The Dude on the Rude Awakening program on WOCM-FM out of Ocean City, Maryland. Click on the station call letters to listen live online. I have many fond childhood memories of summers in that seaside town.
Then in the evening, at 8:00 p.m. Mountain Time/7:00 p.m. Pacific Time, I’ll talk with The Morning Show at Night on KKSM Radio in San Diego, California. Click on the station call letters to listen live online.
Counting down the days to the “30 Funerals in 30 Days” Challenge! Saturday, October 30, Create a Great Funeral Day, is when it all starts. Stay tuned…
