Gabie’s funeral

Gabriel [LastName], 7, of [Leeny’s address], died on September 10, 2012 following a brief illness. He is survived by his guardian, [Leeny], and by two sisters, Buttercup and Penny [LastName].

Graveside services will be held at 3:00 PM on Saturday, September 15, 2012, at [funeral home], [funeral home’s address].

I’m afraid there’s not much left to it after identifying information has been removed, but this is it.

Also, thank you to the TDKers who received the e-mail and have already responded with messages of condolence.

It was just the funeral director and me at the service. He opened the casket. Gabie was curled up. The lower half of him was covered, like with humans. I pet him, but he was cold. I knew he wasn’t there any more, that he was really at the Bridge, but this was the last that I would see of something that was once “him.” Most of the service was held inside the funeral parlor; it wasn’t a graveside service.

This is the service. The funeral director read it. It’s written according to the Christian Liturgical tradition because I’m Lutheran.

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ORDER OF SERVICE

Hymn

All Creatures of Our God and King………………Francis of Assisi

Invocation

In the name of the Father, + and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Creator God, on the sixth day You formed the land-dwelling animals and human beings. You gave to humanity the responsibility of caring for the creatures You made and brought them before Adam to see what he would call them. Today we come before You to give thanks for the life of Your creature whom we have called by name, Gabriel. We ask Your comfort for our sorrow at the end of his life, and entrust him to Your eternal love. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, now and forever. Amen.

Scriptures

Isaiah 11:6-9

Romans 8:18-23

Luke 12:6

Sharing of Memories

As we have come together to remember and give thanks for Gabriel’s life, let those who wish to do so now share their memories of him.

[Here I read the poem “Pawprints” that Owlwatcher wrote.]

The Prayers

Lord God Who created the heavens and the earth, You gave to Adam and to his descendents the responsibility of caring for the rest of creation. Help us to tend and manage that which You have placed in our care in ways that please You and fulfill Your will. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Source of all love, thank You for the bond between humanity and those creatures we have taken into our hearts and homes as our companions. Let all animals who look toward human beings for love and care find it, and let us see, in our love for them, a reflection of Your love for us. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

Giver of all good gifts, thank You for Gabriel’s life. Thank You for his patience and gentleness. Comfort us who miss the soft touch of his paw and nudge of his nose. Remind us that You love all that You have made, and that, as with the rest of creation, You made Gabriel for Your pleasure. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.

[Here we went out to the gravesite. I covered up Gabie’s body with the white cloths that lined his casket. It was like I was tucking him into bed, so I recited “Night Night Furball” one last time. I’d recited it a lot during the last days of his life. The funeral director then closed and sealed the casket before taking it outside.]

Committal

Creator God, we have given thanks to you for Gabriel’s life. We now commit his body to the ground, awaiting the day when the whole creation will be freed from its bondage to decay and shine forth with the glory You intended it to have from the beginning.

Benediction

May Almighty God, the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and preserve us. Amen.

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I sat on a bench while Gabie was buried. The funeral director even put some silk flowers on the grave, red roses.

In a few days, I will get some papers to order Gabie’s marker. I’m going to have his name and dates on it and a line drawing of a shorthaired cat. (They have ready-made pictures from which you choose.) I’m also going to have on it “Our Fabulous Boy.” When his first guardian was trying to re-home him, she referred to him in the announcement as her fabulous boy. That’s the “Our” in the phrase, his first meowmy and me.

It turns out that the person to whose memory this pet cemetery is dedicated used to be a member of my church, before I was there, and the funeral home director provided his services for humans back then. He met RFP during the planning of the funeral for this man.

That’s all for right now.

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