h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

'Nanna' May (Mary) Healy (nee McSweeny)

Born 16th October 1914
Died 17th December 2010

Aged 96.

I shall remember her as she was in the years that I knew her best, which is all that I can do.

I'm so sorry for your loss, Clive.

My grandad passed away a couple of weeks ago too. It's tough.

Thanks everyone, it is sad but we're coping it's been expected which helps us all cope and in many ways it means she is no longer in pain and confused and that is a source of comfort, especially to my parent and aunts (her children)


I've put some photos of Nanna up of Flickr which is my way of remembering her.

You are all welcome to view them.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/richardhealy450d/sets/72157625593547318/

GT

So sorry for your loss. It is doubly sad at this time of year.

Thanks and speaking of which,


Funeral is to be held on New Year's Eve.

That's going to be weird. Bury Nanna. Happy New Year. My first funeral too. Well life would be boring if it were predictable...

The first funeral is the worst, mate......

They do get, if not easier, as such, but a little more bearable....


GT

Will you be holding a wake?

Many years ago, my Father died on New Year's Eve. We had been invited to a party by a Scot and were really looking forward to it! As years pass, the pain of loss gets less and you remember the good times. However, New Year's Eve has never been the same since.

Some details coming out.

There's to be a mass held a day before. Religious in nature, of course. This is the Irish catholic side of my family after all.

Being told how Nanna's in heaven isn't a prospect I relish.

Funeral is on Friday, and there's to be readings, from the Old Testament and New. Yours truly is being roped into to do that as well 'cos I'm good at standing up and reading stuff out.

As it's Nanna's sending off not a trace of my atheism or religious antagonism shall I betray, but have it here noted when it's me in the pine box, if there's a priest in a 50 miles radius of my corpse or the singing of a single hymn and quite in spite of my not believing in ghosts, I'll be really annoyed.

I'd rather like the Poem #32 from A.E Houseman "Shropshire Lad" as a reading, that said, never having been to a funeral or a wake, I've only got a very hazy idea of what happens at funerals and an even less clear idea of how I'd like my own organised.

The best funerals are very individual, full of happy memories, and infused with the personality of the deceased. Favourite poems, photos, memories. And, of course, the beliefs of the deceased.



Terri's funeral was lovely. And full of her personality.



My grandad's funeral was religious because most of the family are JW. He wasn't himself, but he occasionally went to some of the meetings and probably believed most of it. It was just in the crematorium. But the person giving the funeral talk was a personal friend of his, and the first half of the talk was a review of his life. And then my dad got up and recounted some memories of his own childhood and his dad. There was a Witness song I'd never heard before (they've released a new songbook since I left), which had odd musical phrasing and was almost impossible to sing. And a prayer. And some Louis Armstrong at the beginning and end, because he was a jazz fan.

Afterward, we went to a hotel and laughed and chatted and caught up with the scattered family, and then some of us went to my aunt's and looked at photos and talked and ate and drank. It was a good funeral.



I've been to many funerals. They're part of our culture in Ireland.



There was a memorial concert for Humph on Radio 4 yesterday, during which his son remarked "And if you're up there, looking down on us, You were wrong!"

TRiG.