Friday

Well, it was a long and very interesting day. Gayle picked me up at 9:30 and we drove into town for Anne's funeral. I was surprised that the funeral home was so large--it featured a viewing room as big as some churches and lots of other areas. Anne was laid out old-fashioned style--actually whole and in a coffin, rather then being in an urn.  It didn't look like her--naturally, as it wasn't "her." The "her" she had been was gone as of February 22.

                               

As is customary now, this was termed "A Celebration of Life" and pictures of Anne and family were shown on screens flanking the coffin: 

As for immediate family, Anne had three sons and several grandchildren, although she was only 60. Her birth family, mother, father, siblings, and their spouses and offspring were all there. How many brothers and sisters did she have? Incredibly, fifteen. Yes, she was one of 16 children and when she was five,  her father "walked away," although he came to the funeral, according to Mary, Anne's mother, whom I found remarkably upbeat and cheery. She is 85, lives in Simi Valley, and seems in good health. Of course, so did Anne until she died. How she died is still not known; an autopsy was performed, but the results have not yet been told to the family.  

The funeral was conducted by a minister, which seems odd, considering that on Thursday, a Catholic mass was held at the Church of the Assumption, but maybe that's standard nowadays. The program yesterday included songs by one of Anne's sisters, who has a beautiful voice, and reminisences s by other siblings. All in all, it was quite an enjoyable, if poignant, occasion.

A reception in Santa Paula was held after and I enjoyed talking and getting to know some of the relatives. Refreshments included a number of traditional Mexican foods, plus soda and other (non-alcoholic) drinks, and an incredibly large and diverse array of desserts. Here's the venue, pretty clearly decorated for a wedding reception:

Now, here's a little addition to the "interesting" category of the day: 

On our way to Santa Paula, I had asked Gayle to stop at the dry cleaners to pick up my docent skirt. When we stopped, I saw that the facade was covered with dry wall and the door bolted. What--what had happened to the shop? A woman passing by told me it had burnt to the ground on Thursday night! AAGH--my skirt was gone! I had gotten it from a costume shop in L.A. six or seven years ago and it was fairly expensive. Well, I'll have to replace it, as I'm scheduled to do the tour on the first Sunday in April.

Got home, had a bite, Suzanne came over to chat, and then it was hot tub time. That was pleasant, although I just sat on the side and put my legs in. Plans were made to go to the Ojai restaurant for breakfast tomorrow and I'm looking forward to that. James C. called to be sure Vickie and I had all the information to witness the scattering of Benny's ashes. Yes, we do, and we'll board the boat at 11:00 today.