Funeral customs differ around the world. I knew I faced yet another learning experience as I prepared for and held my first funeral on Utila.
The Death
Mr. Hal William Polaire died at home, 6:30a.m. Sunday morning, July 11. Age 81, probable cause of death (given his health history): heart attack. Mr. Hal was not a member of our church (and I had not yet met him) but wife Diana is a longtime member. I called the house around 9:00a.m. and offered to stop in before church. Diana gratefully accepted my offer.
I climbed the stairs to the second story (above a shop) where the Polaires live. Mr. Hal's body was laid out on the bed and already dressed in a suit. His shoes were at the foot of the bed and the stockings on his feet were safety pinned together. (I'm guessing that's to keep the legs together.) It appeared that a cloth was tied from the top of his head around his jaw, I presume to keep the mouth closed. There was a hanky open and lying over his face.
We visited for several minutes as Diana told me what had happened and I took notes as she gave me some of Hal's history. He was an American who had settled in the Bay Islands seven or eight years ago. He and Diana had been married for about six years. No time for the service to give family in the U.S. who might choose to come time to arrive. I figured services would come quickly. Because there is no facility to embalm on Utila burial typically happens not much more than 24 hours after death. There were friends with Diana and I left to go on to church. (Where I did my first baptism, incidentally, a baby named Margaret.)
The Wake
After Sunday evening service I returned to the house. The body was in the same place, now with several wreaths of artificial flowers surrounding it. Quite a number of people were present, perhaps 30. Several church members had arrived shortly before me, wishing to pay their respects. I joined them in a different room and we talked, Diana joining us from time to time. My friend Gunter had told me earlier that these things go on all night. We stayed for about 45 minutes. No relatives would be coming for the funeral; the service time was set for 3:30pm Monday. I asked if I might come and talk to Diana about the service and more about Mr. Hal; we agreed that I should come at 10:00a.m.
Monday morning a white casket had appeared. Diana told me that it was the last one on the island. The body was still on the bed, now with a large number of artificial flowers next to it. We had our visit which I structured pretty much like I do when visiting family in the U.S. I'd been briefed by a church member on what a typical funeral is on Utila so I was ready to "fill in the blanks" with hymns, Scripture and special music (for which she had already arranged). I went home and put my notes and thoughts together.
The Funeral
The funeral begins at the house. I arrived shortly before 3:30. There were a few who gathered at the church, not caring to make the walk from the house to the church. The church bell was being run about once a minute, and muted. A large number of people (75, perhaps) were gathered in and around the house. The body was in the casket, now on the porch, set on two wooden chairs. It was closed just before I began the service. We sang "Abide With Me." I prayed. We recited the 23rd Psalm and I pronounced the benediction.
Eight pallbearers carried the casket down the stairs, following me. I thought it curious that there were six strips of cloth attached to the casket; the men wrapped that cloth around their hands several times and most often carried the casket by those strips rather than the long handles on either side.
The truck which was to serve as hearse had not arrived so it was decided to walk the casket to the church, perhaps 1/10 mile. We stopped a couple of times and the two chairs from the porch reappeared to give the six pallbearers a rest. I led the procession, followed by the casket and then the congregation. The truck was coming down the road as we went up it. It stopped in front of the church. The driver, whom I recognized as Mr. Johnny Hinds, proprietor of one of the hardware stores, got out and videotaped the procession. (In fact, he videotaped the service and the burial too.)
Several people were already in the church. The casket was brought down front and sat again on two wooden chairs. I led the service which Diana had asked be kept short. It was about 45 minutes, with two hymns ("What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and "Breathe on Me Breath of God"), three soloists, two passages of Scripture and my message.
We processed from the church to Mr. Johnny's truck where the casket was loaded. A couple of women who had difficulty walking rode in the small cab with Johnny. The pallbearers rode on the bed with the casket. Yours truly led the slow, hot 15 minute procession up to the cemetery, followed by the "hearse" and those who would attend the committal service (I'd say about half of the 200 or so people present). Fortunately it was somewhat cooler than usual. The high had been only 90 that day and it was nearing 4:30. (It gets dark shortly after 6:00; this was late in the day.) I was wearing one of my collar shirts and jacket.
The Committal
I'd been up to the cemetery earlier that day (to make sure I knew where it was) and met Mr. Joseph Ramon, one of the undertakers who, along with six other men, were digging the grave. He was at the ready and directed us along the best path to get to the site.
When we were all assembled the casket was opened one last time for anyone who wanted a last viewing. A sheet of glass was in place beneath the upper half of the casket lid. After a few moments of people crowding around the lid was closed and the pallbearers carried it to the grave. They used the long strips of cloth I'd wondered about to gently lower the casket into the grave.
I read a few sentences of Scripture and then a committal sentence including "dust to dust, ashes to ashes, earth to earth" as I cast in a handful of dirt. We sang a hymn and then another. In the middle of the second hymn the grave diggers (and apparently anyone else who wanted to) began filling in the grave. This took about six hymns. When the dirt was mounded to the satisfaction of the undertakers four stalks of some local plant were stuck in each corner. The wreaths (which people had carried along from the house) were then placed on the grave. We sang a final hymn and I pronounced the benediction. I gave my condolences to Diana and her mother (who was living with Diana and Mr. Hal), my first funeral on Utila over.
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I took this picture of the gravesite the next day. |
