As I posted about last month, my uncle passed away. Now, he lived in an assisted living facility, and my grandma was his legal guardian since he wasn't legally competent to care for himself.
When he passed, grandma wanted to have a full funeral for him, a Christian burial preceded by a viewing and a wake, because in her mind, that's what's proper, and anything else just isn't done. She couldn't afford it, though, and after much discussion and tears, she agreed to have him cremated and brought back home to be buried next to his sister, my aunt, who passed a way two years ago. She makes the arrangements, and decides that, to honor his passing, the family will have a memorial service on Labor Day weekend, as that's when most of us will be in town. (Except me...bah....)
So, arrangements are made. Uncle is going to be cremated, and grandma will pick him up when she goes to finish cleaning out his house, and whatnot. This is delayed when we found out my cousin died last week, she wanted to be there for that side of the family, and she called the necessary people to say she'd be delayed, etc, etc.
I call my mom today, just to check in, see how everyone's doing, and she says those dreaded words "I've got some bad news...."
Fark.
Yeah, turns out the crematorium lost my Uncle's ashes!!
As in, they had them one day, and they were gone the next.
Grandma is beyond upset and pissed. And the rest of us are all in various degrees of and
Me? due to what I study for a living, and what I like to read, immediately thought of This place and shivered a little inside (Yes, worst possible case scenario, I know, but my mind's been following that path for quite some time because of everything that's happened this year...)
I keep this to myself, though. But grandma's already upset, and worried that when she does finally get ashes, how will she know they're her son's? She's having serious misgivings about the cremation, now, and it's hard for us to calm her down.
Mom's upset, trying to be there for my godmother (who is the grandmother of the cousin who passed away last wee). It's pretty much a certainty it was an OD, they're just waiting on toxicology. But now noise is being made that someone deliberately gave him bad drugs, so another police investigation is possibly being opened, and there's talk of negligent homicide charges, or something of the like, which is upsetting that side of the family because they won't release the body until the officials are satisfied. We just want to lay him to rest, so his siblings and mother can start to heal. Gaaah...
Seriously, fates, dieties, higher powers: Can you please leave my family be for a while? Please?
</rant>
Again, i thank y'all for giving me a place to vent my frustrations. I'd probably have gone completely bat-fucking-crazy before now without you!
When he passed, grandma wanted to have a full funeral for him, a Christian burial preceded by a viewing and a wake, because in her mind, that's what's proper, and anything else just isn't done. She couldn't afford it, though, and after much discussion and tears, she agreed to have him cremated and brought back home to be buried next to his sister, my aunt, who passed a way two years ago. She makes the arrangements, and decides that, to honor his passing, the family will have a memorial service on Labor Day weekend, as that's when most of us will be in town. (Except me...bah....)
So, arrangements are made. Uncle is going to be cremated, and grandma will pick him up when she goes to finish cleaning out his house, and whatnot. This is delayed when we found out my cousin died last week, she wanted to be there for that side of the family, and she called the necessary people to say she'd be delayed, etc, etc.
I call my mom today, just to check in, see how everyone's doing, and she says those dreaded words "I've got some bad news...."
Fark.
Yeah, turns out the crematorium lost my Uncle's ashes!!
As in, they had them one day, and they were gone the next.
Grandma is beyond upset and pissed. And the rest of us are all in various degrees of and
Me? due to what I study for a living, and what I like to read, immediately thought of This place and shivered a little inside (Yes, worst possible case scenario, I know, but my mind's been following that path for quite some time because of everything that's happened this year...)
I keep this to myself, though. But grandma's already upset, and worried that when she does finally get ashes, how will she know they're her son's? She's having serious misgivings about the cremation, now, and it's hard for us to calm her down.
Mom's upset, trying to be there for my godmother (who is the grandmother of the cousin who passed away last wee). It's pretty much a certainty it was an OD, they're just waiting on toxicology. But now noise is being made that someone deliberately gave him bad drugs, so another police investigation is possibly being opened, and there's talk of negligent homicide charges, or something of the like, which is upsetting that side of the family because they won't release the body until the officials are satisfied. We just want to lay him to rest, so his siblings and mother can start to heal. Gaaah...
Seriously, fates, dieties, higher powers: Can you please leave my family be for a while? Please?
</rant>
Again, i thank y'all for giving me a place to vent my frustrations. I'd probably have gone completely bat-fucking-crazy before now without you!
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