I went to the visitation for Uncle Lou last night and the funeral this afternoon. So many people were there - Lou's entire extended family! Clem, Jessie, Ian, Matty and Drake, the Howes family, the Millers, the Flemings, the Brailesfords, the Drakes, Conor, Doug, Dray, Petro, Steve and Amelia (newly-engaged), Jeff P., Rico, Matt W., Paskar, Sarge, Heidi, Sean.. not to mention the huge number of friends from other areas of his life. It was sad but as the group got bigger, it became more like a family reunion. It was so great to hear how everyone's doing and what they've been up to. Most don't seem to have changed at all - still smart, dynamic, interesting and so funny. Did the Muto's know what an effect Louis had on his friends? At first they seemed overwhelmed (in a good way) that so many of us from the club were there but they must have known how popular he was - even the memorial card said "Uncle Lou'" just below his given names.
I'm not one of those who is comforted by the religious ceremony. They're self-serving and don't particularly reflect the values of the individual but a few of Lou's friends spoke at the graveside and took off the churchy edge with some personal stories. His father was happy that they were able to find a spot for Uncle Lou just a stone's throw from the Credit River.
Drake brought a Missy singlet and his parents kept it with Lou after all the paddlers signed it. Howes drove out to Burlington and got The Black to display at the reception. Ian tried to bargain with Connie Lee to keep it overnight but she was pretty firm that it had to be back tonight. Mississauga doesn't have a great reputation when it comes to taking care of The Black. The C-boaters discussed the possibility of going through each crews' tags and putting frowny-face stickers beside kayakers names but decided against it. I guess everyone has changed a little!