On Sunday Studly Doright and I drove south for about three hours to attend a Celebration of Life service for a man I’d never met, and who Studly only knew superficially through business contacts. We went more to support friends who’d known the man well than for any other reason.
The service was held at Silver Springs State Park near Ocala. I’d visited the park a decade or more ago and it’s lovelier than I remembered. When we entered the park a family member of the deceased directed us down a winding path to a rustic pagoda with raised seating and a view of cypress trees rising out of the swamp. The October sun filtering through the surrounding foliage created the most perfect spot on earth that day. We found our friends and sat together as the service began.
From the photos around the pagoda one quickly surmised that the man being honored had been rather remarkable. There were photos of him at the summits of several major peaks including the Matterhorn. He’d also been a deep sea diver and an astronomer. I wished I’d had the opportunity to have met him.
Then one of the pastors officiating the service spoke about the deceased saying he’d disliked Democrats and hated lawyers, and that if the man could speak from the grave he’d tell us to never vote for a Democrat. A smattering of laughter accompanied by a few groans resulted from his statement. I looked at Studly and he put his hand on my arm, most likely to keep me from saying something I’d regret. I’m no idiot, but I must say words bubbled in my mind.
The second pastor then went on to tell us how the deceased had loved the environment and sought God in all the faces of nature. But he’d hated Democrats and lawyers. Now, I’d say the dearly departed thought he was looking for God, but quite honestly never really cared about the meaning of God.
Listen, when I die, I don’t want any mention of politics. Such talk doesn’t belong at a funeral. I wouldn’t mind being eulogized in the sacred forest of Silver Springs State Park, though. Surely the trees will cleanse the air of any negativity.
Peace, people
Praying for Eyebrowz 
Wow. Talk about uncomfortable. Granted, I think pretty much every single memorial service/funeral does something to make at least one or two people uncomfortable anyway, but this seems a bit in your face.
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It was so totally unnecessary! They could’ve said he was a lifelong republican and that would’ve sufficed.
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The wording is probably pretty spot on. It was more important to note his hatred than his likes. That alone should be pretty telling.
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Well, to be fair, I think he had a great many interests and was pretty accomplished in everything he took on. He died tragically in a work-related accident, so he wouldn’t have had any input into what was said about him. But that the negative thoughts were interwoven with all of his supposed love of God and nature just seemed “off.”
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yeah well….. …… Nuff said. In fact as we say here… goad…
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Nuff said, indeed.
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I suppose it takes all sorts but really… I will refrain of saying the funerals of some sorts are things we can do without. OOPS just said it.
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I totally agree.
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Good grief. If anyone mentions any politics at my funeral I will come back and haunt them with hockey sticks. LOL
Seriously, how unfortunate. But the pictures are lovely!
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I’m with you! Studly and I both made solemn promises to each other yesterday! And, the place was soothing—very necessary after the service.
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My guess is that, due to the community this funeral was taking place in, the pastor may have assumed that everybody there was on the same political side as the deceased (and the pastor), and so this seemed perfectly appropriate to him.
And this is why you should never, never assume stuff like that.
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Oh, for sure! Obviously they didn’t realize there would be folks from relatively liberal Tallahassee.
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How sad that everything’s become so divisive.
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I know! Even a funeral ended up being political!
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Gorgeous park, with unfortunate words being spoken does change one’s perspective on the entire celebration of life concept. I would be inclined to wonder just how well the pastor(s) really knew this man, any why, assuming they did know him, was it ever assumed to be okay to bring into view what this man “hated” most in life!
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Apparently they knew him well. One was a long time climbing buddy and the other met him almost daily for coffee. That park is gorgeous. I need to visit it under happier circumstances.
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It seems a bit weird bringing politics up at a memorial service, but hey maybe he felt really strongly about it? Personally, it’s the last thing I’d want to be mentioned at mine too. Looks like a lovely place for a service
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It did seem weird. And since he died suddenly there’s no telling if that’s something he wanted mentioned. As for the location, it would be a wonderful place for you to photograph.
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It certainly looks it, that water looked so clear and inviting
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Well, there are huge alligators in the park, so I’m not swimming in it.
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Maybe those you went to support appreciated the effort
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I hope so!
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