Family Gatherings

One of the benefits of attending family funerals is being able to have gatherings of those family members who come to pay tribute to their loved one who has passed on. It is especially a happy time when the departed has lived a great life and is moving on to a better world, as in the case of Mom, Grandma, Nana Barbara.
Sister Howlett’s two sisters live in the Southern California area and have some children who also live close by. Pat’s sister, Sharon and husband Carl (Smitty) Smith have two sons, Carl and Michael, nearby and their daughter, Gayla, came in to be with her Grandma before she passed away. It was a cherished time they had visiting together.

Pat’s sister, Kathy and her husband David Whitford have three children close by, Kevin, Jessica and Jennifer. Kevin and his wife Tanja opened their home for two of our children, Mark and Karen and their families. Mark & Sherlyn have 5 children and Karen & Dan have four, their youngest being a new baby boy that we hadn’t seen yet. They traveled down from Washington State together in a 12 seater van, feeling a bit like sardines in a can, and all stayed at Kevin and Tanja’s home. Kevin and Tanja also have four children. What a party they had for about five days with 6 adults and 13 children bouncing around in the house and also having many others stop by to visit, so it was a hopping place.

Pat stayed mostly with Kathy and David in Riverside, but they have two homes right now, with plans to move into the second one next spring as a smaller retirement home. However, it made it very nice to have that second home available for more of our family coming in from out of town. David & Kathy’s son, Andrew also flew in with his wife, Amy and their 2 year old twins. They stayed in the Riverside house. Our son, Eric and his wife, Chris, with their five children drove in from Ohio and stayed in Kathy & David’s Menifee home, with Pat being there the night they arrived. It was so great to see them. Two more of our children flew in from Ohio with their wives. Our son, Adam came with his wife, Missi, bringing their new baby girl we hadn’t seen yet, and our son Michael came with his wife, Harmony. It was so good to visit with each of them.

In addition to those homes, Kathy & David’s daughter, Jennifer has a home and our daughter Susan and our son Jacob flew in from Utah and stayed with Jennifer a night. It was also a treat to meet and visit with Jennifer’s fiancé, Kevin. It was so great to see Susan and Jacob, though we missed their families, who couldn’t come. We also missed Elder Grant Howlett, our son Wayne and his family, and our daughter Emma and her family, all who could not make it out to California. There were so many fun gatherings, especially when we gathered on Sunday afternoon in David & Kathy’s Menifee house for a barbeque and walks, ball games and kids playing in the playground area in their community park just down the street from their home. It was such a fun time with all the cousins having a great time together. In fact, some of the cousins didn’t want to leave each other, though their families would have to part soon.
We appreciated everyone who opened their homes for all of us coming from miles away to have a place to stay during the week of the funeral. Also it was a joy to visit with so many who either opened their homes or traveled from far away to participate in a special time of sorrow and rejoicing. Thanks again to everyone. Funerals are a time of reflection, honoring and reuniting. This one was very special for all of us.