The return flight from Indiana was delayed on the tarmac for over an hour and we did not return home until late Sunday evening. On each visit home, Jeanine enjoys the wide open spaces and the seemingly endless fileds and near inifinte sight lines. I thought this would be a nice image to remind her of home. See if you can figure out what the objects covering the field are. Click on the photo for a closer view.
Larry would have been pleased with the gathering of his family and friends to celebrate his life. He would have appreciated the outdoor, casual setting, where words came only from the heart and each song told the story of his life. Guests were invited to take plants from his garden (potted by the girls) as a remembrance and I know that nothing could have pleased him more. I am equally confident that he continues to look in on this blog everyday, as he did in life, and I will honor his memory by continuing to share the story of his daughter and grandchildren. A complete set of photos from the memorial service can be found by following this link.
….there were moments of joy.
Each daughter in turn spoke of their father and his life. For each moment of sorrow…..
Maya with second cousin Bradley.
The Earle family children (of Jeanine’s childhood friend Kris) have grown up beautifully. Kyle and Bethany shared the same bath tub as infants.
Jeanine was surrounded by friends and family who came from near and far to be with her at this time.
The girls fashioned an altar from giant wood slabs that Larry had planned to turn into table tops. The French, Sweedish, and Northwestern University (where Larry earned a degree in botany and minor in zoology) flags decorated the tent and were integrated into the service during the closing.
The service was held outdoors surrounded by nature and the gardens that Larry was so devoted to.
Today we celebrated the life of Jeanine’s dad, Larry Roche, during a memorial service at his home on Lake Holiday in Crawfordsville, Indiana. He died rather suddenly after complications from surgery on June 1, but not before his three daughters reached his bedside. Tomorrow is Bastille Day and the date for his service was picked for this reason. Larry was half French and grew up speaking the language. This was a holiday near and dear to his heart.
Today was spent preparing Larry’s home for the memorial service. I was assigned the task of cleaning up and organizing the basement. It was an all day job and we had a fire going for the better part of it. Over the years Larry and Euince had acquired, salvaged or built a number of tables and bookshelves. Unfortuantely the damp basement and untreated wood made for ideal mold conditions and the only option was to burn these items off.
Sister Lauren and Jean.
We enjoyed dinner with Jeanine’s two sisters (Susan pictured here) and close friend Jean Cass before indulging in an ice cream splurge at Culver’s.
Kyle and I flew to Indianapolis this afternoon to join Maya, Nico and Jeanine for her father’s memorial service. The Indy skyline has been enhanced by the addition of a new basketball stadium (right hand side) since we moved away five years ago.