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| Re: [GMCnet] Good by Dan [message #269378 is a reply to message #269377] |
Sat, 10 January 2015 14:34   |
James Hupy
Messages: 6806
Registered: May 2010
Karma:
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Senior Member |
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Ken, thank you for making that journey and for sharing your experience.
Many of us, myself included, only knew Dan through pictures, blogs, and
telephone calls. I am sure that Teri was comforted a great deal by your
presence, as well as their families. So long Dan.
Jim Hupy
Salem, Or
78 GMC ROYALE 403
On Jan 10, 2015 12:09 PM, "Jerry Wheeler" wrote:
> Ken,
> Thank you for making this trip and reporting to all of us. Your
> description made me feel as if I was there. Wish I could have been there
> but it was too far for me.
> JR Wheeler NC/OR
>
> On Sat, Jan 10, 2015 at 2:27 PM, Ken Burton wrote:
>
>> On Thursday morning it was -10 degrees here in NW Indiana. The wind was
>> blowing at what I
>> estimate was 25 to 30 knots straight out of the south. It stayed that
> way
>> for this entire
>> trip or 443 miles one way. At 10 AM I left and guess what way I was
>> headed. I was headed south.
>>
>> This trip was to attend Dan Gregg's visitation and funeral. I forgot
> that
>> Illinois (outside
>> of the Chicago area counties) only owns two snow plows. Unfortunately
>> they did not get out those two plows until the roads had been hard packed
>> with
>> snow which turned to ice. I hit the ice pack within the first 300 feet
>> after I crossed the state line and it stayed that way down to Effingham,
> IL
>> which was about 180 miles of the trip. It took hours to get through that
>> stuff running as slow as 15 mph at times on I-57 in Illinois. Visitation
>> was scheduled to be 5 PM to 8 PM. I had planned to get there before 5 PM
>> but actually arrived at 6:35 due to the poor condition of Illinois roads.
>>
>> I have never been in Dexter, Mo. before and as I drove through town on
> the
>> the main street there was no one to be seen anywhere. I thought that
> they
>> must have rolled up the downtown sidewalks at dusk. There was not a
>> single car moving or parked anywhere. Then as I approached the west edge
>> of town
>> I could see some cars parked in the distance on the street. When I got
>> there I realized they were all parked at the Funeral home. I started
>> looking
>> for a place to park and there was none. The area around the funeral home
>> was jammed with cars. I ended up parking a block away and walking back
> to
>> the funeral home in the wind. In front of the Funeral home was very
>> professional electronic billboard sign with the name "Danny Gregg
>> Visitation 5PM
>> to 8PM" being displayed. When I got to the entrance there was a guy
>> stopping everyone from entering and directing them around to a side
>> entrance. I
>> entered that way and then I realized that this was the end of a line
>> waiting starting just inside the door. The line ran through an office,
>> then back
>> to the normal entrance reception area and then chapel area. On the
>> opposite end of the chapel was where you could get up to see Teri, Dan,
> and
>> his
>> children standing there greeting people.
>>
>> There were several hundred people and I waited in line with them. It
> took
>> just under 45 minutes to get through the line to see Teri and Dan's
>> extended family. When she saw me, she immediate hugged me and started
>> crying. She did not let go for almost 5 minutes. I gave her my best
> wishes
>> and best wishes of the GMC community that all wanted to be there. It was
>> a very emotional time for her but she repeatedly expressed thanks that
>> someone from the GMC community showed up. Talking to Dan's daughter
>> Melany the next day at lunch after the funeral, Melany said the
> visitation
>> was
>> suppose to end at 8 PM but there were people coming through the line
> until
>> 9:30 PM. That was 4.5 hours. I do not know who all of those people
> were.
>> He must have known everyone for a 50 mile radius, because all of them
> came
>> out to the funeral home for visitation.
>>
>> The funeral home had a slide presentation of pictures of Dan with his
>> family, friends, his VW, his GMC, letters written by his grandkids, and
>> even his
>> corrections department badge. It was quite a professional arrangement of
>> memories. I was very, very impressed.
>>
>> The funeral was the next day at 10 AM at the Church of Christ church. I
>> arrived at 9:30 and the same slide show was being shown on two projection
>> screens inside the church. His flag draped coffin was positioned in
> front
>> of the altar. I would like to tell you what happened during the ceremony
>> and what was said but with my hearing I missed about 95% of it. There
>> were 6 seating rows (pews)) reserved for family and I counted 48 people
>> sitting in those family reserved pews. The rest of the church had a
> couple
>> of
>> hundred attendees like me.
>>
>> After the church we went to the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in
>> Bloomfield, Mo which is about 8 or 9 miles away. It was a trip on two 4
>> lane
>> divided highways. As we pulled on the first divided 4 lane highway we
>> ended up in the right lane parallel to a van and a semi in the left lane.
>> Both the van and the semi slowed down, moved in behind us, and waited for
>> the procession. I was surprised. I am use to Chicago drivers who have
> to
>> get there now and the heck with everyone else. When we turned north on
>> to the second widely divided highway ALL of the southbound traffic
> pulled to
>> the curb and waited for northbound procession to pass. I was shocked as
>> this. It was this way along the entire route. These were not adjacent
>> lanes
>> but a very widely separated highway. Around here the southbound traffic
>> would not have done that. The Dexter Police Dept. escorted the
> procession
>> the entire way even though we were several miles outside of the city.
>> Again it was a courtesy I would not see in this area.
>>
>> The cemetery was a beautiful place that has only been there about 12
>> years. Everything was immaculate and all of the graves had green wreaths
>> with
>> red bows on them. All of the markers were in rows and identical in
>> traditional military fashion. It was like visiting Punch Bowl, Hawaii or
>> Arlington, VA. Missouri really did it well. It was sunny and not a
> cloud
>> to be seen. The temperature had warmed up to 29 with less wind at the
>> cemetery. The final ceremony was attended by two honor guards (one air
>> Force and one from Stoddard County). They had their flag presentation
> their
>> three volley rifle salute. Finally someone brought a bunch of helium
>> filled red, white, and blue balloons. The grand children plus some of
> the
>> family members each took one. Together they released them into the air.
>> I watched them until I could no longer see them as they blew away in the
>> wind. It was a fitting ending tribute to Dan.
>>
>> Good by my friend.
>>
>> Good by Dan from all of us GMCers.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Side notes:
>>
>> 1. After the cemetery ceremony some of us returned to the Church for
>> lunch. I sat down at a table by myself and someone tapped my on the
>> shoulder.
>> From behind me he asked if it was alright if he and his wife also sat a
>> the table. I said 'sure" and turned around to find that it was fellow
> GMCer
>> Luther McConnell and his wife. He had driven in that morning from St.
>> Louis for the funeral. So I was not the only GMCer attending.
>>
>> 2. I have been to a lot of funerals and I hate attending them. This was
>> the best funeral I have ever attended. I have the feeling that Teri put
> it
>> together but I do not know this for sure.
>>
>> 3. Teri said thanks for the notes etc. from all of the GMCers and GMC
>> clubs.
>>
>> 4. My return trip was not any better. The Illinois roads were still
> messed
>> up but the wind had changed direction. So I still had the ice and a
> major
>> wind problem returning. The total trip was a little of over 950 miles.
> I
>> used Laurie's car and it is covered with salt from the Indiana roads. At
>> the current below 0 temperature, it is a little too cold to wash it right
>> now.
>> --
>> Ken Burton - N9KB
>> 76 Palm Beach
>> Hebron, Indiana
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