Jack's memorial

click on the picture to enlarge it.

Here are some photos of Jack from the memorial. It was very nice. His brother played piano & picked out the music for the background, which included Weird Al Yankovic. His dad gave the Eulogy, and his sister related a funny story. Some kids from the High School band performed as well.

During the part where people came to the microphone and talked about their experiences with Jack, Diana went up. I was very proud of her.

One of Jack's friends had said that they'd discussed who had the funnier German last name. Dannenhoffer vs. Kirkendahl. Diana went up and introduced herself as "Diana," and then said, "Jason, I believe I win for the funniest German name with Kiester." Everyone laughed at that. Then she told her story about how Jack had insisted that dragons were real, etc. She held it together and was able to smile. Later, her teachers & people that know us told her she was very brave to do that. But knowing Diana, she has that ability to pull up courage and do what she feels needs to be done.

Afterwards, Jack's dad asked me if it would be okay if he took Trevor & Diana to help pick out a location at the cemetery behind our house for Jack's ashes. He said Jack would have thought it great fun to be so close to our kids - so they could just look over the fence and say "Hi Jack!" I told Diana if she wanted, she could ask if she could plant some snapdragons there. While we believe after death the soul moves on, and the body is just a shell, more or less, it will still be a place that she & Trevor can go to reflect and remember. I don't know what the restrictions are on an Oddfellows Cemetery, but they'll be trying to get him in there.

We'll be going over this week to visit. Lee was home with Connor & missed the memorial, and I think he'd like to visit with Jack's folks for a while too. Diana & I will bring some goodies. We know his brother really likes chocolate, so I think brownies, at least. Diana might want to make a cheesecake too.

Also, a blurb was posted in the paper that Jack was indeed wearing his lifejacket & doing everything he should to be safe. Some debris caught on his shorts, and that's what caused the accident. Of course, anyone that knew Jack would know he was following the rules. This was the safety-monitor kid who would remind everyone to do things the right way. People float the river all the time around here, and unless something freaky like this happens, everyone just has a great time. And that was Jack - living & enjoying life, and having a great time, with a huge grin on his face.

His dad reminded us at the memorial, none of us knows what will happen. Be sure to let those you love know how much you love them, and take the time you need to do that.