RIP ~ Jock Alexander ~ Funeral Pictures!

[Michael Alexander]

Well Attended, well Piped to his Grave!

[Michael Alexander]

.

[Michael Alexander]

. 

[SandyB]

Nice and  appropriate   goodbye , keep the memory alive in your hearts ..

[Bertie Horak]

Thanks for the pictures, Mike. Beautiful and touching many heart strings indeed.

[john wilson]

Thanks for the pictures,made me feel that I was there, would have loved to be there but it wasnt possible,What a nice send off, the piper was a great addition.Thinking about you all over there. Best Wishes.

[Rhona]

Thank you for the lovely pics.
My thoughts are with you all constantly 

[georg ruf jr.]

Nice Pics Mike. Proud sons...

[Michael Alexander]

Thanks to you all... Really feeling strong about all of this...... There are more snaps to come! Alan took some awesome ones of our piper down at the graveyard, with the full moon rising in the east behind him..... the weather that afternoon was indeed heaven sent...... just as the burial ended, the sun was setting in the west, over the desert, the air was warm as it had been a North easter that day..... at the same time, the almost full moon was rising in the east....

I was also suprised at the turnout, I never realised that the church had filled up behind us and that the people were standing out the back door. It would be hard to put a number to the folk.

I know that when I left the church for the graveyard, that I was car number 10 or so behind the Traffic car and hearse..... I know that when I stopped at the graveyard, the cars were still filing up past the hospital on 11th avenue, Michele was the last car......

The other thing that touched me..... if you look at the above photo marked....Leaving the church, you will see on the right hand side, a Man sitting in a wheelchair, saluting my father's coffin as we walked pass.... this chap was a good friend of my father, Herr Roland Kuffner, he lived a mere two doors down from my dad and was employed as a chef on the mine since the 70's , working at Affenrucken amongst other places.... a rather eccentric chap, but a genuine person........ he would often invite my dad around for a 5 course meal, needless to say after a wee bit too much whisky, my dad would battle to find his own home again......

@Rhona, we did the celtic tradition next to the grave and before my father was lowered, we each poured a tot of the water of life over our father;s coffin,  all in all, a sad moment, but one that I will take to my own grave one day,

Slante' Jock!

[Rhona]

God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around you and whispered "come to me."
With tearful eyes we watched you, and saw you pass away.
Although we loved you dearly, we could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest.
God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best.

Slainte Uncle Jock
Rest in Peace

[Patricia Lotte]

Wow, I'm sure your dad was watching over you and honoured by the grand farewell you gave him.

[Paul Alexander]

Hi All,

A few people aksed me for copies of the poem I wrote for my dads funeral a week back, I've scanned in the original... please note that I'm not a shite speller (well I am, but no that bad) I wrote this poem to ensure phonetic justice when I read it back (although Mike has still asked me to clarify which part of Scotland I'm from with an accent like that!!!)

Mel will type out a clearer copy some time in the future for me....

The last picture is a drawing done by our Uncle Matt (dads brother) proving for once and all that dad had help building the QE2

[SandyB]

Aaw  tis  beautiful Paul   ... screen gone all fuzzy  .... reminds  me of the wake I went  to  for a friend recently that  slowly shuffled of  the  mortal coil  due  to a brain tumour ....  his  sister and  his partners sister  took it upon  themselves to  look after hin in the last  3 weeks ...  in his lucid moments  propped  up in a  day bed in the  balcony overlooking the  view  of hills  of glencairn and false bay ... he  would  talk about the  fun he had  in life , no regrets , only gratitude for  life ...  he passed  cradled between the  two girls ,, they asked  him if it was time and  he  said yes I think so ,, and quietly exited ... he wanted no  service  or anything ,,, a wake was held two weeks after his passing at the  sisters house ....  Poems were read and  prayers  said  and   nary a dry eye  ...  for anyone  there who had experienced loss  it took all back to the same space of their loss ... that over we  had a party  to send him off ...

[Bertie Horak]

Beautiful, Paul! 

[Michael Alexander]

Ginger sent in a bucket of snaps from our father's funeral, here are a couple...