Whose Funeral?

[Arthur Little]

Well ... it definitely wasn't MINE - obviously! But on I discovered an obituary notice for a guy called Alec M - whom I'd known as 'Ally' since my early days as a member of the Boys' Brigade.

Over the years, I hadn't had a lot of dealings with this man ... apart from seeing him from time to time at BB Council Meetings. However, in early November 2008 - a week before my second trip to the Phils - he kindly gave me a lift to a special Parade & Reunion in Kinross, to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Organisation's founding.

So when I read of his [apparent] demise, I decided to attend the funeral service this forenoon as a mark of respect. Despite the crematorium chapel being pretty-well-filled to capacity, I failed to see anyone I knew among the mourners, as I glanced furtively around me ... and began to feel a bit uneasy. My fears were confirmed as the officiating clergyman finally took his place at the lectern. ... he was a Roman Catholic priest! And, of course, Ally being a BB stalwart, HE'D been a Protestant.

As I already mentioned, there was no one in the assembled congregation I'd recognised ... therefore I figured nobody present was likely to know ME either - thankfully!

Happily, it means the Ally M, I'D been associated with is still very much alive (as far as I'm aware!). By some macabre coincidence, both men bore the exact same names (and nickname); moreover, each of them was raised - and worked - in the same small county town 17 miles from Perth!!

[triple5]

so did you sit through the whole service, Arthur? That sounds like a sign to get in touch with your old mate

[KeithD]

Is this for a new comedy sketch show

[raynaputi]

jeez Arthur! that's embarrassing..especially if someone have asked you how did you know the guy! Hahaha

[RickyR]

I can't help laugh at something that shouldn't be laughed at! Is that sadistic?
What a story!

[mickcant]

Hi Athur,
At least that has to be better than missing a friends funeral, I had somthing like that here in the housing complex I live at, there were two ladies named "Flossie" one was the wido of a distint relitive of mine, I heard she died, then saw her one morning, yes I had the two mixed up!
Mick.

[KeithD]

I think a few on here would miss their own funeral

[Arthur Little]

Hi Athur,
At least that has to be better than missing a friends funeral, I had somthing like that here in the housing complex I live at, there were two ladies named "Flossie" one was the wido of a distint relitive of mine, I heard she died, then saw her one morning, yes I had the two mixed up!
Mick.

... YOU as well, Mick? A ghastly ... ... I mean ly business!

[bornatbirth]

did you stay for the entire service and did anybody talk to you

[Arthur Little]

did you stay for the entire service and did anybody talk to you

YES to your first question ... NO to the second; btw, Congrats on [almost] reaching your 4,000th posting on the forum!

[fred]

Never mind Arthur!!
How was the food and wine at the wake? any good?

[Arthur Little]

Never mind Arthur!!
How was the food and wine at the wake? any good?

... didn't wait around long enough to find out, Fred ... was outta there soon AS ...

[Arthur Little]

I'm off to another funeral ... the right one, on this occasion!

[KeithD]

I'm off to another funeral ... the right one, on this occasion!

I thought you were posting that the right person had died this time

[Arthur Little]

You've guessed ... yet ANOTHER "send-off" - this afternoon at 4 o'clock - this time for an whose husband and myself were baritone chorus members of a local Operatic Group throughout the 1990s ... at the close of which decade, he and I simultaneously decided to step down from "treading the boards" on account of advancing years ... since each of us were, by then, elderly enough to be almost "grandparent material" for more than a few of the Group's teenage recruits.

Hence my reason for "resurrecting" [pun intended] this old thread [albeit temporarily]. ... anyone reading it might be forgiven for thinking I was some kind of ghoul or professional mourner. But when one reaches my stage in life well ... ... such events have a tendency towards becoming commonplace.

And [hopefully] I'll be "smart" enough to pay my last respects to the correct Mrs Smart, (Yes that's the name of the dear departed ... honestly!) I shan't fall prey to my past "grave" error of judgement.

[mickcant]

I hope all goes ok Arthur,

Last year I went to a funeral three days running

It certainly does remind us we are all getting towards this ourselves
Mick.

[Arthur Little]

... time to put this thread "to rest" (scuse pun) once more ... until NEXT time!

RIP ...

[Arthur Little]

jeez Arthur! that's embarrassing..especially if someone have asked you how did you know the guy! Hahaha

Guess what! Yes ... this afternoon, I attended ANOTHER funeral.

Getting to be a habit!

However, on this occasion, I knew the deceased very well indeed ... in that, our association dated back more than six decades ... to 1953 - the year of the Queen's Coronation - when our respective families came to reside in the Perthshire village of Glenfarg ... his from abroad (South Africa, as I recall - though they were British) and mine from Glasgow (as had George's originally).

Born February 22nd 1914, George Maitland was only seven months' shy of becoming a centenarian! Amazingly, his wife, Janet died as recently as November 2010 at the (almost as remarkable) age of ninety, after 64 years of marriage.

And MOST interesting of all ... their elder daughter, Morven was one of the first girls I ever dated in the early 1960s!!!

So, Rayna ... I've delved back into the forum archives to highlight the implication of the above statement of yours [#4 ] dating back to the time I inadvertently turned up at the WRONG funeral. Because, when it came to the handshaking line-up afterwards, Morven asked me the very question you mentioned, i.e., "What's your connection?"

Considering she hadn't clapped eyes on me since 1963 ... you can well-imagine her surprise when I said: ... "I'm Arthur Little ... we grew~up together!"

"A ... you're Arthur Little? ... I would never have guessed!"

NOR would I have known her either if we'd passed each other in the street!

Aye ... ... it's a funny old world!

[mickcant]

Hi Arthur

Its another sign of ageing that we find ourselves going to so many funerals

I somtimes wonder "who will be left to come to mine"

Mick

[Michael Parnham]

No it's nothing to worry about, it's just that all the people you've ever known during your life were a lot older than yourself!

[stevewool]

had to reply to this 20 replies but over 9900 views, wow thats a lot of looking without saying anything

[Arthur Little]

9900+ views, Steve? REALLY?

... WOW! Tbh ... I hadn't realised MY "morbid curiosity" was shared by so many. !!! Mind you ... it's the 2nd time I've re-opened this thread since first "raising" it almost 3 years ago. Thus - if I may be excused yet again for my frequent use of puns - unlike a rolling stone it has had plenty chance to gather lots of moss.