I awoke before the alarm and J was already up. We went down for breakfast around 7:25 to be ready to meet my mother who was joining us for breakfast. J and I had cheese omelets and whole-wheat toast and my mother had French toast. We left around 8:45 in my mother's car to begin the full day of funeral activities for my stepfather, ELG.

We went the Williams-Bergey-Koffel Funeral Home around 9:00 for a viewing for the immediate family. ELG's side of the family is rather large, so the hour alloted for the viewing provided enough time for everyone to see and talk with each other in addition to viewing ELG one last time. Both my mother and his daughter weren't happy with the way his hair was combed — they said it didn't look like him. We left around 10:10 with my mother, J, and I driven in one of the funeral home's limos.

We went to the cemetery where ELG was to be buried for a grave-side service. A Navy color guard played taps and folded up the flag that had been draped over ELG's coffin — it was a touching ceremony. ELG had served in the Navy as a SeaBee in the Pacific during WWII, but never talked much about his experience — it was a difficult time for him. We stood around after the service and visited some more, then we were chauffeured back to the funeral home around 11:15 where we picked up my mother's car and then drove ...

To the nearby Franconia Heritage Restaurant for a private lunch buffet for the family. There was a mix of hot and cold items, and the food was tasty. We left around 1:00 and ...

Went to my mother's apartment at the retirement community to relax for a bit before the next activity. I checked my email and found out that I had gotten paid for one more of the items that I had sold through eBay.

We walked to the chapel in the retirement community for a visitation hour from 2:00-3:00. It was nominally for residents of the retirement community to visit and offer condolences to the family, and some friends from outside the retirement community came too.

We returned to my mother's apartment around 3:40 for another break between events. I left by myself in my mother's car to take the items I had sold through eBay and had gotten paid for to the Post Office to ship them out. I returned to my mother's apartment relaxed for a while.

My mother's cousin J (CJ) and her husband M arrived around 5:00. My mother and CJ grew up together, almost like sisters, and I have many fond memories of getting together with CJ and M as I was growing up.

We walked to dinner in the dining room of the retirement community. J and I had salad from the salad bar, and my mother, CJ, and M had some soup. CJ had chili for a main course and M and I each had a chicken salad sandwich. J and my mother decided to skip the main course and just go directly to dessert. My mother, M, and I had a slice of pumpkin pie and J and CJ had some moose tracks ice cream — ELG's favorite dessert there.

We went to Zion Mennonite Church in Souderton for the 7:00 memorial service. Previously in my family, only memorial services had been held for my grandparents and father, plus a very short graveside service for my father immediately before his memorial service, so the many activities to say goodbye to ELG were overkill if you asked me. Of course, there was some more visiting after the service.

We drove my mother back to her apartment then ...

Returned to the B&B around 9:15. We went online to check email and unwind a bit, then went to bed early after the grueling day.