Sadly, I'm not at his funeral today. I've got a pretty good cold, so I decided not to pass it on. But my wife is playing for the funeral, torn up shoulder and all.
Some notes...
They got his obit wrong, listing only one combat tour. The man writing up the funeral went to school with Caboose and he knew better. Tried to get the family to change it, but they said they weren't sure. Come to find out, he did do two. Even volunteered to go back again, but the Corps declined to send him.
Understandable, though. Even though Caboose was in the Corps and in the USMCR for forty years, and I've known him for 48 years, I've never heard him say a single word about Vietnam. Not one.
He was supposed to have a Marine set of pallbearers, but a couple of them came down with COVID. Therefore, family will be pallbearers and a mixed service detail will fire the salute.
They couldn't get everybody into the funeral home (that's a four estate room funeral home with at least a 200 seat chapel.
Funeral is finishing up about now...The sheriff's department is lining up on the highway in full dress uniform. The sheriff will also furnish the procession escort.
Caboose will be buried in a Marine blue casket, as referenced above. My wife said it's beautiful.
Because he liked to cook (mostly smoking, roasting or barbeque) and he probably made thousands of pounds of smoked sausage per year, there will be a lot of pork at the meal after interment. I know of one guy smoking 100 pounds of pork. I'm sure there'll be a lot more.
Other than that, this is a big family, a lot of friends and it's going to be an old-time country potluck from people who can cook.
Sure wish I could have been there...
