 My brother-in-law, Larry, is a big man and great in every way. He is a wonderful father, husband, and community citizen. I like him a lot.
Larry is a Mason, and an active member of the Masonic Lodge’s burial team. He takes his duties as a master memorialist seriously, often practicing the ritual that he is frequently called upon to provide.
Larry and I were discussing my end-of-life plans, and he shared a story with me. He was asked by a friend to read a letter at the funeral service at the time of his death. The man requested that Larry agree to not open the letter in advance, and that he read the letter verbatim at the funeral.
The man died and, true to his word, Larry stood to read the letter. As he read the letter, he referenced a man’s name, who I will call “John,” who was in the audience. Larry could tell that “John” was the man, because he immediately lifted his head and stiffened when his name was read. Larry continued to read the letter, “John, you will not be missed!”
 Larry asked the audience to not get angry with him for reading the letter, because he was simply fulfilling his promise to his friend. The dying man had written an extremely frank and upsetting letter that offended many in the audience. Larry joked that only seven cars went to the cemetery after leaving the funeral services.
Most folks will only die once, without retakes, so you might as well go out in style.
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