Yesterday I went to the service for Van, my brother-in-law. It was so hard to be there, it was almost like having Bill's service all over again. A lot of the same people were there and they even sang one of the same hymns. Van was a really good gentle man and he and Bill were almost as close as Christine and I are. I know he had a really rough time of it after Bill died, Bill was his baby brother, and I know how that feels.
The services were held in the chapel at the mausoleum which was at 27th Ave. and Van Buren St., forever away from here. I had forgotten what a seedy part of town it is, I really got nervous driving through some of that area trying to get back to 19th Ave. to the freeway. The cemetery is surrounded by freeways now and hard to get to. It's an old cemetery and used to be in a nice part of town. Bill's parents, Brother Cliff, and his wife Thelma, and Carrie are all buried there. So I have been there several times but this was the first time I had driven ther by my self and it just seemed different.
One of Van's daughter-in-law's introduced me to some friends of theirs as Van's last remaining LIVING sisters-in-law. That was a startling thought. It really shook me up for a minute. I guess that means that June and I are the last of the old Beck family. Now how did that happen!?! It's funny how aging creeps up on a soul, you don't even realize it and suddenly there you are OLD. Strange!
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Mom, I hope it was a nice experience for you also. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I hope it brought up a lot of tender memories and helped you to think about what Bill and Van are up to right now! I bet they are just having a great time and talking about the last time Van saw you! What a sweet man he was. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.
I pulled out the book Uncle Van wrote about his life and was reading through it. What a life he had! That book he wrote in the mid-1990's, just look at how much longer lived and how much more there was to the story. He will be missed.
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