Who Laughs at a Funeral?!

I don't know what it is about my family, but we're such a bunch o' nuts that we always seem to laugh and joke at inappropriate times. Like at funerals, for instance.

Today was my Uncle Vern's funeral. It was a blast! I think Uncle Vern would have loved to see how much fun we had. It may seem wrong to some people, but Uncle Vern was a man always up to mischief, and he loved a good joke, so I'm sure this is how he would have wanted his funeral to go.

It started out solemnly enough, with all of us gathered together, listening to Uncle Vern's favorite Hank Williams song. Then my cousin Scott gave a short, touching eulogy, ending with the heart-wrenching words "Goodbye Daddy." Uncle Clyde spoke next, remembering a humorous story from when he and Uncle Vern were boys, followed by a few fishing stories. I sat next to my second cousin Loretta, with whom I'm close, and the two of us behaved very well through all of that. We were asked to write down memories of Uncle Vern, which I did. Then the good behavior ended.

The main speaker was a pastor who had never known Uncle Vern. His nearly-half-hour speech had Loretta and I laughing our heads off, as well as my sister Jennifer, my cousin Laurie, my parents, and a few other relatives. We honestly couldn't help it. The guy was doing such a terrible job!

He told us almost his entire life story, occasionally giving space to short remarks about Uncle Vern. He got Uncle Vern's occupation wrong, gave a short speech on the importance of the American military (Uncle Vern was a veteren who served in the Korean conflict), quoted the most random scriptures possible, and spoke at length on the flood of 1937 (which had nothing to do with Uncle Vern). He also gave us a discourse on the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, reminded us repeatedly of our own mortality and the possibility that we could all die at any minute (my sister loved that part), and even told us about his three recent trips to the hospital (his, not Uncle Vern's). It was the most confusing, hilarious speech I have ever sat through at a funeral!

Naturally, several of us spent most of the speech laughing as quietly as we were able to laugh. We also felt the need to share various insights with one another throughout the speech, resulting in even more laughter. Oddly enough, I think our laughter and jokes were more appropriate than tears would have been. Uncle Vern would have loved to see us enjoying ourselves. That man loved a good laugh!

Following the funeral we got together for dinner and shared even more laughs. It seems that no one can remember Uncle Vern without at some point smiling and/or laughing. I think that says more about my uncle than any eulogy ever could.