We had a nice Funeral Service Celebrating Grandpa's Life

I'm not able to recap the funeral service as it was way too emotional for all of us.   We have been married for 42 years this fall, and LeRoy was as much my dad as he was my wife's.  He was there for both of us uniformly just as he was there for all of his children.  We will miss him in everything we do.

Once the service was over, we gathered in a Family Center, that was away from the Chapel.  It was kind of like we went to someones home for a reception.  We had coffee and Iced Tea.  The kids had lemonade.  Large plates of cookies were offered and my grand kids were in heaven.

We talked with many of the family friends that have been involved with the churches that LeRoy served, and also had many members of the family present that are too distant to see on a regular basis.  The conversation seemed endless.

Eventually the Family Center was to be used by the next service, so we regathered as a family in the Amana Colonies West of Cedar Rapids.  Link

For those of you that are not familiar, the Amana Colonies was a communal farm and village up until the middle 1930's.  They built the Amana name refrigerators and appliances in factories at the commune for years.  Of course this way of live was given up during the WWII years, and capitalism took over.  The old world craftsmanship is not gone however.

Meats are still smoked in the colony smoke house.  Breads are still cooked in the bakeries.  It is just that these things are now for sale.  If you go by on Interstate 80, please take a minute and stop for some really good food served family style.

We had one of the oldest rooms of the Ox Yoke Inn that was our meeting place.  They set a table for all of us, which was at least 40.  I didn't count but we were all one big family.  We were served platters of Chicken, Ham, and Beef steak in brown gravy.  All family style! We passed the plates around until they were empty, and then a waitress would gather them up and offer another that was full.

The sides were corn, German fried potatoes with gravy, coleslaw, cottage cheese, sauerkraut, fresh breads and butter, and desert.  Cherry pie, and to die for Rhubarb pie with the baked brown sugar crumbles on top.  I had a piece even though I am not supposed to.  Sometimes you just have to live a little.

So our family was together all day, and I'm certain that, that would be exactly what LeRoy would have wanted!

Retired Rod

By the way,  the Amana Colonies have a Campground, where you can come with your RV and while away some time.    Lets see, woolen mills, smoke houses, bakeries, wineries, giftshops, and furniture stores.  Seven individual villages, each with a craft specialty and old communal dining halls converted to more modern restaurants.  You have to stay here a while to understand what Amana is.  But one thing it is not is fast lane big box stores.  Or big box anything!