Subject: Song choices at memorials
From:
Phil Cooper
Date: 31 Dec 11 - 09:02 AM
I was reading the Bad song choices at gigs thread. I noticed a lot of posts revolving around songs at funerals/memorials. Because it was not related to Bad song choices I thought I'd put out this recent experience. My older brother, Dave, passed away suddenly, without any warning at all (Oct. 11 for those curious). His middle daughter was out in the Chicago area and told Susan and me. Dave had lived in Fairfax, VA for many years. Anyway, there was going to be a formal, full military honors service, but at a time in the future (longer story, not relevant to this).
We checked with Dave's family and asked if it would be all right to have a smaller memorial service out here, where a lot of Dave's old friends could attend. Everyone was OK with that. Dave was agnostic, and his immediate family did not really want some holy roller type heavy message happening here (some of our relatives are fairly fundy). So, Susan and I found a Unitarian Church that did an appropriate service. She and I arranged all the songs that included Dave Carter's When I Go and Gentle Soldier of my Soul, Chris Smither's Old Man Down, David Francey's Saints & Sinners, Margaret Nelson's These Bones, Dave Tamulevich's Simple Faith, and Susan's own Motion Song. None of them bad song choices for my brother. Many folks commented on how great everything was. Only two of our religious relatives commented on the lack of hear after sermons. We knew this would probably happen, but we feel we did Dave proud.
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sj
