Friday 22 May 2009

The End of an Era

My blogging is a bit irregular just now owing to the death of my cousin on Saturday and the difficulty of arranging a funeral service in the Methodist Church in Ripon from a distance, tracing all the many relatives, and making sure that they all know about and agree with all the arrangements being made. I think we have now nearly completed everything. He was an only child and never married, so his next-of-kin are cousins like me. I've booked Bed and Breakfast accommodation but I am still beseiged by emails and phone calls.

The Minister who knew my cousin went to Australia to visit relatives on Monday and a nephew of mine who had been helping with the arrangements has a week of competitions in Surrey, having been a medallist in the past, so I feel that everything rests more on me now! I found that the 16th Century rambling farmhouse' (as the Internet advert calls it) that belonged to my uncle and the deceased's Uncle when we were children is now a B & B but it is too expensive for me and too far out of Ripon for this trip.

My cousin is now at peace, having spent the last 4 years of his old age being well-cared for in a Nursing Home. He used to love acting as a guide for visitors to Ripon Cathedral. As another cousin said, 'It's the end of an era.', because we have now lost the last link with Ripon and all our childhood memories.

2 comments:

Molly said...

I am so sorry to hear about the death of your cousin may he rest in peace. Olive, you too are in my thoughts and prayers at this time. May the love of Jesus surround you and help you cope with all the stresses and arrangements that you have to do and go through at this time.

Olive Morgan said...

Thank you so much for your prayers, which were felt at the time of the funeral even though I had not read your comment until I returned home last night. It was a beautiful service and quite well-attended after all. My cousin was an odd character and only 6 of the family were able to attend, and we had no means of knowing if anyone from his home towh would come. So when i discovered - just the day before i left - that there was no-one up North to print the Orders of service i had to do this myself! What would I do without my computer! I was afraid that i was wasting card by printing too many, but it turned out to be just right. It was only last week when I was describing him to a neighbour with an autistic child to care for that it dawned on me that my cousin was probably autistic! In his youth that would not have been picked up! But the people of his Methodist church had taken him to their hearts - although they all had amusing tales to tell of his eccentric behaviour!