Farewell 'Til We Meet Again, Pops!

On Tuesday, December 23, we said good-bye to Grandpa, my dad, (Donald Joseph Jones) with a nice graveside service at Fairview Mortuary.  He was buried alongside Grandma, my mom (Georgia Maeser Mitchell Jones).  Mom died nearly 15 years ago, and he has been very lonely since then.  The past five years, or so, he has been wheelchair-bound, and has been nearly blind, and nearly deaf.  He has been ready to leave the restrictions that his physical body has put on him for quite some time.  As my friend, Elizabeth Kasparian commented, he is now free to be who he really is.  For that I am thankful.

Carol and I are standing by Poppy's casket.

It was cold, but the weather was clear and beautiful.

Cindy Wiser drove over from Roswell.

Bob and some folks he remembered.

The family waits.

After the service was over and most of the people had left, the family sang, "Tom Ashman" to Dad one last time.
*I just realized, I ought to get the words down in print.  I'll put them at the end of this blog.

Afterwards, we went to the Albuquerque Temple and sealed a family of cousins on my mom's side of he family.  Steve was able to find this family through some of his own genealogical research.  What a wonderful way to celebrate a life--through uniting a family that has been waiting for that opportunity!

Merry Christmas, Pops!  We will miss you.

*Tom Ashman's Pig

Tom Ashman had a big pig,

And he hung it in our yard

On a big pole

And he gave us some to eat.

Mumma liked it.

Puppa liked it.

Phyllis liked it.

Irene liked it.

Vera liked it.

Grant liked it.

Don liked it.

But Rebecca didn't like it.