The Cemetary Story

 

April 14, 2007

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 My Mother loved Eagle Bay so much, she wanted to be buried there.  In fact, she decided that she did not like where her Father was buried in Cincinnati, so she had him dug up. Luckily he was in a cement square with an urn on it, allowing her to put him in the back of her station wagon, and drive him to Old Forge one summer.  She had bought 4 plots at the cemetary there.  She had him buried, and a granite stone with his name placed at the Urn.    When my Grandmother died, she also brought her ashes from California, in the back of the Safari station wagon to Old Forge, as before, having a stone engraved. 

In preparation for her own demise, she felt we would not do her justice.  She wanted a grand stone.  She had one designed, with a ballerina in fifth position on pointe, her name engraved, trees in the back- it was beautiful.  Several years in a row she would take students from the ballet camp to view her grave, pose them around the grave, as from the ballet “Giselle” and take photos.   

Her very goood friend Blanche lived next door to her cabin in Eagle Bay, and was always at performances, brought her special treats, such as buttermilk pancakes, and invited her to tea or coffee in her cabin.  Over the years Blanche took care of Heidi, the dog, and had her own dog, Dottie, as well. 

One day Mom returned from Old Forge a bit upset.  She had gone to the hardware, and taken students to the Muffin Patch for ice cream, stopped at the cemetary to see deer and the grave stone, and there were some lovely flowers at her grave.  She felt someone might have mistakenly thought she was already dead.  She was considering writing an article for the Adirondack Echo.  She had engraved her date of birth on the stone, but surely noone could mistake that there was NO date of death yet…While she was engrossed in dark thoughts of her own death, Blanche came over with some donuts from the donut shop.  She was listening to the conversation, and chimed in, “Oh, I put those flowers there.”    Mom was insensed, “But Blanche, how could you do such a thing?  You know I am not dead yet!!!”  And Blanche softly answered, in her sweet way that showed she had been reading her Bible and just thinking of the best for everyone, “I won’t be able to put flowers on your grave, because I am older than you, and will probably die first, so I just put them  there now.”  

When Mom was 84 and died in Florida Blanche was living in a nursing home in Booneville.  They died only a few months apart.