Hi Mike,

You may be a terrific programmer but you certainly have missed your calling. Once again, your way with words shines through. Where is that novel you must be working on ?

Ken

>Yesterday afternoon I went to the funeral of a colleague from soccer. It was good to see the gang there during the off-season but the funeral service itself left me irritated. It was exactly the kind of funeral I don't like. I'm sure most of you have been to similar services. It was delivered by someone from Andy's church, St. Mary's. I'm not positive whether the speaker was a priest or a layperson but in either case the church got its money's worth.
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>The service was entirely religious, right down to the call and response of Catholic catch phrases. Which I can tolerate. Nobody does pageantry and icons like the Catholic church, and they have a power that can move even an unbeliever like me. What I objected to was that Andy's funeral was totally generic. It was a McFuneral. Nothing -- not one word -- was said about Andy. The guy said nothing about what he did, who he loved, what he enjoyed, what he didn't enjoy. You can forget about small anecdotes like Andy driving around in a golf cart for two days straight in baking heat bringing Gatorade and water to volunteers during a soccer tournament. What was he proud of? What did he regret? None of that was mentioned. Nothing. He had the best seat and the worst part in the house, up front in an urn that seemed way too small to hold him.
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>The speaker ran through the usual suspects. I am starting to despise the 23rd psalm, as beautiful as it is. He went on and on about the glories of God. Uh, was it God who died or Andy? He even managed to include what I consider the most irritating passage in the Bible, the bit about I am the way and the light and no one gets to God but through me. He was done in 15 minutes and out the door 3 minutes later.
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>Am I being sentimental? I don't think so. Yes, I know a funeral is for the living, not the dead. But I think it should pay some tribute to the person who died. It is their last appearance (of sorts) here on earth before they move on to whatever is next. We ought to say something about what they did and who they affected while they were here. There should be some personal tribute in a funeral. IMO, of course.
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>This may not be a tribute but at least it's specific. The last time I saw Andy was at picture day, the Saturday before the start of our fall soccer season. He was the commissioner of the Mundelein AYSO region when I moved up here and remained in that capacity until the onset of cancer caused him to step down about a year ago. It's always a chaotic, high energy day -- teams getting their photos taken, ill-fitting uniforms exchanged, acquaintances renewed after the summer break. Andy didn't say this but I suspect he was there specifically because he knew it would be the last time. When I arrived, on the early side to help set up tables, Andy was already there. He had gotten no further than a few steps inside the door before he had to sit down on a rolling dolley. I asked him if he was OK and he said not good, not good. He asked if I would pull him down to the gym where everything was set up. Of course I did. We got him into a chair at the greeting table, and that was the last
>time I saw him. So there is something about him, that he cared enough about kids and about soccer that he went out there that morning even when he knew he was dying. He was a taciturn, proud man, a stoic south sider, so it cost him something to be seen in such a decrepit state. But he was there.
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>You know what's funny? I have no idea what he did for a living. It never came up.
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>He was 47. (And looked about 70 at the end; don't smoke, kids). He left behind a wife and three kids under 18.
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>So long, Andy.