Final Farewell

Today I attended my nana's funeral. My brothers and I began the procession by playing Amazing Grace as everyone was led in. A couple of hymns, eugoogolies (nah just joking eulogies!) and prayers. Hamish, Aonghas, Greg (my cousin) and I concluded the service by playing O Come All Ye Faithful as everyone was led out of the church to the hearse waiting outside. This Christmas carol was significant as it was the song our nana was listening to when she died.

 

There were about 100 people at the funeral, with relatives from all over New Zealand - Christchurch, Tauranga, as well as some from Australia making it all the way to Auckland just to be there.

 

I think I probably learnt more about my nana at the funeral than all the time I've known her! We were told how she loved our grandpa so much, and how she always put everyone else ahead of her, being willing to help others out whenever they were in need, even when she needed help herself. One saying she used often when asked how she was doing was

 

"Oh not too good but you've got to keep on going" 

 

Probably the most entertaining were the eugoogolies, when my dad, my uncle and my aunty got up to say a few words...well apart from my dad...he kinda went for a while despite being told to cut half of his originally prepared four page eugoogoly. Probably some of the best quotes came from my dad's little speech though:

 

"I originally prepared a four page speech but was told by my brother David to cut it a bit so I've reduced it to two pages. So Catherine Muir was born in .... she was sister to ..., whose parents were ... and ..., who were originally from... " (the beginning continued that way for a couple more minutes at high speed)

 

 

"When I came back up to Auckland my mum told me to get married so I took a four day weekend, and got married"

 

"I'd like to thank Noeline (his sister and our aunty) for looking after Mum for the last few years. I really should've been there more often. I'd also like to thank Waitakere Hospital and St Josephs Hospice for taking care of Mum. I'd also like to again thank you all for attending this funeral service. I'd like to thank all the ladies who helped prepare morning tea. Finally I'd like to thank my employers for granting me bereavement leave and for allowing me to attend this funeral service. "

 

Following the service we all had morning tea, and then went over to our aunty's place to hang out with all the relatives before they had to head back home.