So sad that I couldn't attend the wake last night... many stories accompanied by beverages and his brothers Charlie (guitar, vocals) and Jim (fiddle, vocals) played upbeat Irish Trad until the last song which, of course, was The Parting Glass... not a dry eye in the house (or haus as the building is part of the winery owned by his partner Elke... I think that's how her name is spelled... who came from Germany many years ago with her parents).

I was saddened that there was no eulogy (Perhaps something to do with the wake? Ya knows the Irish, eh?). Sad for the obvious reason and because I had to refuse being a pall bearer because I knew I wouldn't be able to stand at the back of the church during a eulogy. I was offered a chair option but that wasn't a good idea for reasons I won't get into. Big crowd, especially considering the obit wasn't in the newspaper until this AM and it didn't even mention the funeral mass. Odd but there it is.