Post Script

Steve, Cathy and I left the house at 9 am to head to the church yesterday and make sure everything was set up okay.  The viewing was 10-12, and it was neat to see the people who came.  Airport guys who don't like this kind of thing, old fellow school teachers, church folks who hadn't seen her in years, family who traveled from Texas and Florida in a car.  Ann was 90 years old, so most of her 'people' have passed before her, so we were a little worried nobody would be there to send her off.  Fortunately, while it wasn't a celebrity-sized service by any means, her family and closest friends were there for her, and many of our friends were there for us, and that was nice.

The service was 12-12:30.  Tanner had recorded "It Is Well" to play via video for everyone. Pastor Jeff opened up with a little talking and a prayer, then Tanner's video, then Pastor Greg did his message on why you should be saved, and then Steve's cousin Bruce had pre-recorded a message for everyone, and that's the one that got me.  He grew up with her as a parent figure. His mom and her two sisters, all those kids grew up together, close, and the three Simmons Sisters were a core family unit.  He had a lot of neat things to say.  One that made me laugh out loud was when he said that word for word, nobody could match Aunt Dolly on talking. She had a Master's in talkology.  He's a pastor too, he said he's known a lot of talkative people in his life, but nobody has ever beaten her.  He's not wrong, until the last couple of years anyway.  I also liked how he said she wasn't a big person, but there was nothing else about Aunt Dolly that was small.  Her big heart, her big mouth, her big personality.  All true.

One of the things that I enjoyed was seeing the photo video up on the big screen.  Her laughing, her dancing at Morgan's wedding, her grinning with her grandkids, her looking up at Richard, the her that was REALLY her, not the her that we saw these last couple of years.  It was a nice reminder of the real person vs the person the disease transformed her into, physically, emotionally, all of it.  

After the service the church provided a chicken and noodles and mashed potatoes and green beans and roll lunch, with cherry or peach cobbler for dessert, for whomever wanted to stay.  That was kind, and was good, we were all hungry by then.  We stayed and hung out there until it was time to load up and go to the cemetery.  Steve, Kaylee, me, Cathy, Alonna and George, Annie's last remaining sibling on earth (89 years old), rode in the limo to the Logansport cemetery.  Tanner had to go home, so we were short a couple of Pall Bearers, so Kaylee and I acted as them.  I think Ann actually would have liked that.  lol  We took the casket to the hearse, then took the casket to the roller thing and into the chapel where we held Devon's service.  Pastor Jeff did another service up there, and that was it.  We got back into the limo and drove back to the church, then out of the church and back home. Didn't get home until 3:30 pm, by which time we were all tired and overwhelmed by people and activities and talking.  Even the extroverts were, and me, I was way past my limit.  

I wore a dress, but when it came time to be a Pall Bearer, I switched my low heel sandals out for flat boots. It also helped with feet pain for not being used to wearing anything but my Sketchers. ;)

Kaylee did not know it was "Pall Bearer".  She thought it was "Ball Bearer" until the night before.  So she has learned something new.  lol

At 5:20, a friend of Ethan and Amber's had arranged to make a big meal for all of us.  We didn't know what it was going to be, but Ethan had asked if they could help us out with a meal, and I said yes for once, instead of "Oh, no, you don't need to do anything", because, well, I could use help feeding 12 people.  She arrived with trays and trays.  Meatballs, diced cheesy potatoes with a like corn flake crust, a fancy salad with sesame sticks and cheese and all sorts of good things and a dressing that I don't know what it is but it's good.  Homemade rolls that are light and fluffy that came with amish apple butter and strawberry rhubarb jam, and pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting.  It was just what we needed. We got another table out, set it up, and had a really good homestyle meal that I didn't have to cook, and the clean-up was fast and easy, and we have leftovers enough for those remaining today. 

Kaylee can't have gluten. She actually does have a terrible reaction to it, it's not just a diet thing. She gets strong stomach pain and cramping, bad digestive issues, and it hurts her for a couple of days if she accidentally eats gluten.  This makes life difficult--you know how much stuff has gluten/wheat in it??  Even the chocolate bar I had had gluten in it.  So when they had offered to make a meal, they asked about allergies and I said Kaylee and gluten, but also, it was a gift to us, so if that didn't work out, she'd adapt as usual.  When the food got here, we forgot to ask the lady delivering it, and Kaylee was tired, overwhelmed and hungry too, and it all smelled good, but she didn't know what she could risk eating or not. The potatoes had flakes on top that could have gluten, the meatballs can have gluten, the salad had  a lot of stuff in it, the pumpkin bars, the rolls were probably definitely out.  She went to her room and was pretty sad, so I texted Amber in Florida on her vacation since I didn't have the other lady's contact info, and asked her to ask what was safe.  Fortunately everything was gluten free except the rolls and pumpkin bars.   So Kaylee was able to eat a plate full of homemade food and enjoy it too, and she loved it. 

Now that I've typed all that, I haven't eaten since breakfast and it's 2:30, so I need to go get some lunch action.  I know just the stuff.  ;)

I did tell Kaylee to take some of the potatoes home with her. She loves the stuff too, and she really does have a limited menu on a day to day basis.  So I think she will.

After cleaning up, we spent the evening a little more quietly.  The ladies went next door and played a game of "Speed Scrabble", and went through the rest of Grandma's jewelry.  The guys and I stayed on this side and watched football and relaxed or talked or didn't.  

This morning everyone slept in except me, who got up at 7 am because I woke up and couldn't keep sleeping.  We had eggs and coffee for breakfast, and started cleaning up a few things.  Tanner had driven all the way up here yesterday and had to leave in the viewing in order to go back for a gig in Nashville with his band.  Alonna left this morning and headed for home.  Morgan, Ricky, and their three kids, Israel (Izzy), Ezekiel (Zeke), and Zaria, who is 6 months old and a cutie pie, all three constant motion and noise machines, left later this morning.  Lon, Cathy, Rania and her husband Trey are still here, and they went north to visit his mom who also has Alzheimer's and is in a care facility up there.  They'll be coming back this late afternoon, and leaving in the morning. And of course tomorrow morning our lives go back to normal, and I have a trip in the afternoon, and Kaylee goes back to school and work (she leaves tonight too to go back), and so it goes.

Just some photos of the families hanging out

I didn't take photos of the casket or people at the services. It just didn't seem right. Here are some of the flowers.  Kaylee also got a blanket sent over from her work place, and Ricky's work place sent some lillies. Very pretty.  Lots of pink, Ann's favorite color.

Yummmy.