Suzie was born in 1977, and John in 1978. That same year, the family moved to Commerce and Ralph built a house there. Suzie and John’s earliest memories are of this house and its construction. Suzie remembers playing in the yard. John remembers the time they dug a hole in the backyard, and Ralph drove his tractor into it, not knowing the hole was there; and how they had to pull the tractor out. Linda says Ralph had the patience of a saint with the kids-- both their own, and the neighborhood kids. In the Fall, the maple trees on their property would shed tons of leaves. The kids would come to rake, but end up jumping and playing in the piles. Ralph would say nothing, and the next day, clean up the leaves properly. During this time, Ralph also went to college on the GI bill, and worked full time while attending school full time. John says his Dad would lock himself in the bedroom to study. Linda remembers how Ralph struggled with English and she helped him. As was consistent with his dedicated personality, Ralph persevered and received his two-year degree from Oakland Community College, with honors.
The traditional funeral service is still the most common type of funeral ceremony held in many parts of the country. At a traditional funeral service, the casket or urn is usually present. Friends and family may sing or play songs in memory of the deceased, and someone may also deliver a eulogy. Traditional funerals are often religious in nature, so a pastor will most likely give a sermon.
Anyway, this one night, grandma and I were talking - as we often did, and she asked me about pets. I said "well,when Lucas gets home, they probably shouldn't have any pets especially when he is neutropenic etc. So, probably dog and especially cats would have to go". Then she asked about fish. I said "probably not, you know the whole fungal infection thing etc". So Adie came back the next day, and we were cracking up, because she said "hey, you and my mom are getting rid of my pets, even the fish, changing the house around and everything - what else!!".. we laughed SO SO hard about that.
After everything was said and done, and when we already had my dad’s remains, she called just to see how we were doing to see if we had any more questions which I found to be absolutely beyond my expectations. National Cremation provided top-notch service. I have no complaints and only compliments to them. We were very happy with the service and the help. It was an excellent experience.
Some people turn to cremation over burial or entombment because of the convenience, finding it more practical or cheaper to handle ashes instead of a body. Others might be squeamish about the idea of decay and are attracted to the "sanitizing" effect of flames, while some people find it fitting with their spiritual beliefs. Whatever the reason, more and more people are choosing cremation.
