I finally got in touch with Sunset Pet Services today and due to a bunch of unforeseen events Frankie’s ashes had only just arrived back at the facility? office? The phone call id was Greenlawn Cemetery in Hagerstown, MD.  

The vet had actually driven to Alexandria on Thursday night to drop Frankie off – that was a hike from wherever he had ended his day and then a hike back to either Falls Church or Burke – wherever his main office is.  (Don’t ask – these are geographic locations more or less ‘local’ to me. Local if you have a car and don’t mind driving all around Northern Virginia.) 

The gentleman who finally called me back was so calm and soft spoken and apologetic – the way one thinks funeral directors should sound. 

I’ve never had to deal with a funeral director or funeral arrangements of any kind. When my father died the entire family walked on over to Stutzmann’s Funeral Home and I guess my mother filled out whatever paperwork had to be filled and then we were all shown into a room with all the sample caskets to make a selection.

Now this part is funny – 

We’re walking around examining coffins and my elder male sibling stops in front of this one caskets that is, for starters, lined in pink satin with a whole bunch of tacky fru-fru rosettes and other assorted decorative doo-dads. I blurt out “Daddy wouldn’t be caught dead in a thing like that.” and then there was a moment of silence, and then we all burst out in laughter and then the funeral director guy comes in looking aghast. We didn’t even try to explain. 

Anyway, they will be mailing Frankie’s ashes to me today so I’d better head on over to Etsy and see about an appropriate memorial.