Kim's Funeral

Pat and I have just returned from Kim's funeral in Clermont, FL. Kim died from a massive heart attack while at home. John was there right after she fell to the floor. They called 911 for an ambulance but John believes she was dead before they took her away, she was 54 years old. Of course, it was a surprise to everyone. Monica is so frail that we all thought she would be dying soon. I wondered how Monica would take this news but, as far as I could tell, she handled everything fine. Her memory is so bad that I joked with Pat that each day she is told it will be news to her. Todd was there with Angie and Linda, having come up from Fort Lauderdale. They were there on Wednesday night during the evening showing, the funeral mass the next morning and the lunch after that. Todd and Angie look great, they have started on an exercise regimen with a personal trainer. Linda is still on her diet and has such a sweet disposition and so easy to talk with. A curious thing happened during the funeral mass. There was a ray of sunlight that played onto the casket from time to time during the service. John had his nine year old grandson, Austin, at his side who asked him what was happening. John told him the angels were doing it. He accepted that explanation. Krista was the most distraught person during the whole episode. She had periods of crying and loud statements. I understand she was given some Xanex but it did not seem to help. She did rally enough on Wednesday evening to recite a statement about her sister. It was well done. In the funeral home, about ten feet from the casket, there was a TV screen that played picture-slides of Kim's life. Music was added to it that made the experience of waiting in that room rather comforting. It was set to continually cycle. The funeral home was filled with people and many had to stand. There were many people from Disney and Martin that came; they also came to the Church, Blessed Sacrament, for the funeral mass. The Church was full. There was a lunch provided after the funeral mass attended by about 120 people. It was all managed by a friend of John's, she was very thorough. All the flowers from the funeral home were there and it was most colorful. Todd mentioned that he was close in age to Kim and it had him worried. Pat told him that Lori, Monica and she were all pregnant at the same time. All three were born within a few months of one another. When Pat talked to Duane on the phone he also said he was worried. The priest gave a homily about always being prepared for death, "because we know not the hour or the day when we shall be called to make an accounting." He called her a young person and said her life was cut short in the eyes of many people, yet, she had lived as full a life as she could. Lori and Bernie were not there, they were out of the country. Todd said he had no idea how to get in touch with them. He was even concerned about how he would tell them because he was supposed to pick them up at the airport. I told him he should know how to do it, he was the one that told them that their house had burned. He laughed and said:"Yeah, and my Mom said which one?" Mitchel and Danny, Kim's son, were pall bearers; Ryan, Debbie's son, and Bob, Debbie's husband, were also pall bearers; the others I did not know. We got to talk to Mitch's ex-wife, Robin, who is a most impressive conversationalist. She is a strong person and I can see why she did not get along with Mitch. She has remarried and now has a subservient husband. She had custody of their child, Colton, for a number of years. She said that when Colton wanted to play baseball she realized that he now needed his Father more than her and let him move in with Mitch. Colton is now living and going to school in Jacksonville. He attends North Florida University. Kim was to be cremated and when Pat asked John what would happen to her ashes he said he would keep them at the house. We got to see John's house after the lunch. The house is situated on a hill with lots of land around it. We saw the two horses that are no longer ridden, just living out their lives. John says he will have them until they die. This is the house that John and Kim designed and they have since added a pool. Kim wanted one so that the grandkids would be able to learn to swim there. Kim enjoyed her life as a child and wanted her grandkids to enjoy theirs as well.