Independance Day for Joe

Joe at Sandy Lane fete 2010 (Holly's pic)

Today we said goodbye to our friend Joe Park (Parkinson) at a lovely ceremony in Morriston Crematorium. It was a bright and beautiful day and as we gathered before the funeral we were all chatting in the warm sunshine. It was a good turnout and Joe would have been pleased to see so many familiar faces. In perfectly fitting tribute we sang "Morning Has Broken" then, Maudie spoke about Joe and how she and Gerri had originally come to meet him, but they couldn't pin an actual year on it, suffice it to say it was over 40years ago. She reminded us of the many Joe'isms that have been incorporated into our everyday speech, Khazi and Scran to mention just a couple of the more polite ones! She read the poem by Dylan Thomas : -

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
 
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
 
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

It was very fitting for such a feisty spirit as Joe, Gerri had asked the Minister to say a few words about Joe, he told of Joe's prowess at storytelling especially about his time in the military when he went all over the world. One such adventure saw Joe and his mate 'Lofty' hitching a lift with the American Air Force from South Africa back to England for some unscheduled and illegal leave, This they duly did and had to parachute from the plane as it flew over Lofty's home town of Birmingham and landed in Lofty's street!! The Minister raised a laugh by asking Gerri if she thought he was pulling her leg...the laugh was one of many as stories rolled out. How he would have loved that. We sang "All Things Bright & Beautiful" which was also very fitting to the day and after the Committal prayer we filed out to the strains of the great Sachmo, Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World". A perfect conclusion to the service because Joe had had an exciting,fulfilling and wonderful life and he truly made the world wonderful for so many of us with his wisdom,imagination,wit and selflessness. 

Andy and I left feeling that Joe had had a good send off and it was great to see so many of our friends and neighbours all getting together even if it was for such a sad occasion. 

Farewell to our friend Joe...'til we meet again, we will always remember you.