Dec. 14, 2011

Uncle Kay’s funeral 9/2010

Marie and I got up around 4:30 AM to travel to Blanding for the funeral of Kay Perkins Lyman my Uncle. He was the Husband of mother’s second sister Velma Alvira Hansen. She passed away in December and we were not able to attend that funeral but were very glad that we got to this one. We had planned on leaving at about 5:30 but finally entered the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon around 5:50 AM. Earlier I had heard sirens going up the canyon as I was emailing my Good Morning email and remember thinking that I hope it isn’t someone I know headed to the funeral.

As I was putting gas in the car at the Jack Rabbit gas station by the highway leading to the canyon there was a police car that also went up the canyon at that time. Marie reminded me not to go fast as he was ahead of us. Well as we traveled I kept expecting to see him doing a radar trap but we had traveled all the way to Colton before we finally found where he had apparently gone. As we rounded the corner from the café toward the rest area there was an accident involving one semi-truck and possibly two and a white van. The van looked as though it had hit the semi from the front driver’s side of the van and was totally smashed on the one side. There was a tire in the road just beyond it and a second semi stopped right in the south bound lane making passing it very dangerous as it was close to the curve coming down from Soldier Summit. I commented to Marie that I hope it wasn’t a family member headed to the funeral but we would not probably find out until we got to Blanding.

Well we traveled on with no other incidents and not a lot of traffic to Blanding and got there just shortly after 10:00 AM. We were able to go through the viewing line and meet again my cousins, some of whom I had not seen since we were youth in high school. We also saw Aunt Helen, and Aunt Carma, tow of whom I knew had traveled down before us. We also saw Uncle Doyle and Aunt Ardyth. It was really fun to see and get to know again some of my family from Mother’s side of the family.

I really enjoyed the funeral as the children talked about Uncle Kay and his life and for the first time knew more about his involvement in WWII that went beyond the picture of he and Velma on their wedding day when he wore his military uniform.  I also learned that he went on a mission around age 25 or 26 maybe a little older, went to war after his mission. He had met Velma while serving in the mission-field where she also served. They wrote while he was in Germany fighting the war. Then they were married after he was released from the service.

He had written a life history that was used during the talks to point out these parts of his life. After the funeral services we went ahead of the procession to the cemetery so that I could get pictures as the group arrived at the cemetery. There was a military honor guard there awaiting the casket and the family. I photographed as many of those at the cemetery as possible including the 9 gun salute and the folding of the American Flag that had been draped on his coffin. The flag was then given to Ben who has retired also from military service. He began to cry as they gave it to him even though he had held so well his emotions prior to that. (They also presented the bullet casings to him after the services at the graveyard were over.) It was a very special service at both places.

We then went to the luncheon at a second church in town, the original chapel of Blanding. I also took the opportunity to photograph there and took family group pictures after the meal. The family wanted me to take a group picture of all of Uncle Kay’s posterity as one large group. I had to move to the other side of the hall and stand on a table with the camera in order to get all of them into the one picture.

We then drove home. It took a little longer than going since I stopped to photograph the Monticello Temple and a natural arch between Moab and Monticello. We were also held to below the speed limit as we followed 3 sets of trucks and caution trucks that were carrying the large windmill fan blades used in the windmills for generating electricity. We arrived home around 8 PM and had a very good day. Marie and I were the only ones from Mother’s family that were able to attend. I am thankful for families and was very impressed with that again as I watched my cousins pay respect to their father and mother at that funeral. Uncle Kay and Aunt Velma had very strong testimonies and taught their children well. I was also having fun trying to put timelines for his life in respect to mine. The closest similarity was that he was set apart as a Patriarch when I was called to serve my mission in 1972. I loved him and Velma and will always appreciate their example to me through my life. Another that seemed to hit me was the fact that he used contracts in his business for several years as he installed heating and air-conditioning in people’s homes. He went to install one in the of an old family friend once though and the fellow wouldn’t sign it. He commented to Kay that if his word couldn’t be trusted then he didn’t want to deal with him. Well Uncle Kay apparently went home that day and stopped using contracts in his business and went the rest of his business life trusting other people’s word with very few disappointments. I have not ever used a contract in my photography and I too have not had many disappointments but am thankful that the Lord has helped me to trust in others as well.