8. Funeral Celebration
The venerable Daan
van Leeuwen passed away at the ripe age of 83. A widower for six years, he left
behind a substantial legacy that included eight children, forty-one
grandchildren, thirteen great-grandchildren, three farms, numerous oil royalties,
and a sizable bank account.
A native of Holland, Daan was
barely twenty when he immigrated to Canada. He spent over fifty years living on
the expansive prairies of Canada, where he eventually passed away. Despite his
prosperity, Daan remained a humble man, serving as an elder in a small prairie
church for many years.
In his later years, Daan began
to falter and became somewhat confused. His end came rather unexpectedly one
Sunday evening, marking a new and beautiful beginning for him. As a cousin of
my father, our paths crossed from time to time. Whenever he saw me, he was
delighted to reminisce about the old country and to share stories of my
father’s youthful pranks and misdeeds.
Yesterday, we attended his
funeral. We were fortunate to travel with another veteran, Gerrit Jongsma, a
retired plumber who lives in our city. His son drove us. The three-hour journey
to the prairie town was filled with Gerrit’s tales about the Canadian climate,
cheap land, immigrant successes and failures, past hardships, and the
simplicity of life in bygone times.
We arrived at the church well
in time. Although it was empty, a large crowd of both invited and uninvited
guests had gathered for the funeral. Outside the building, the visitors were
engaged in deep conversations and lively discussions. Old-timers from all
corners of Canada and even the States, their faces weathered and their hats well
worn, had come to pay their last respects to their friend Daan. Most hadn’t
seen each other in years, and they reveled in the joy of reunion.
The friends from the fair coast of British Columbia scoffed at the bald and lonely prairies, while the prairie dwellers complained about the coastal rain and humidity. Those from Iowa grumbled about Alberta’s cold, and the Albertans expressed horror at the heat and tornadoes in Iowa. Everyone was having a grand time.
As a newcomer to Canada, I was swamped with advice when I joined this company. I was urged to move to Toronto, Vancouver, Grand Rapids, and a dozen other places, each purported to be better than the last.
Finally, the undertaker, a
stately figure in black, appeared at the church entrance. He clapped his hands
and beckoned the crowd to come in. The farmers removed their large hats and
fell silent as the service began.
The local pastor
delivered a brief sermon on John 11:25, and, following the funeral service, everyone
filed past Daan’s remains in a solemn procession. This occurred in complete
silence, punctuated only by the soft strains of organ music playing songs about
Jerusalem and its golden streets. It was a poignant moment.
The interest and emotion
displayed by those present underscored Daan van Leeuwen’s significant role in
this small corner of God’s Kingdom. The burial took place in the adjacent
church cemetery. Friends of the deceased, confident in their impending reunion
with Daan, carried the coffin to the grave. Following a brief ceremony in the
Canadian tradition, the funeral concluded.
The old-timers donned their
large hats once again, spontaneously approached the pastor, vigorously shook
his hand, and expressed their appreciation for the sermon. The preacher, aware
that this compliment was a customary courtesy, modestly declined the praise.
Subsequently, the lively
discussions about the weather, the past, and the challenging years resumed,
continuing until it was time to depart. Everyone began to pat each other’s
shoulders and shake hands once more. The large hats were removed and waved in
the air. The atmosphere buzzed with witty remarks and cheerful farewells.
Engines roared to life, large clouds of dust billowed from the road, horns blared
a final salute, and soon the tranquil silence of the rural prairie returned.
On the journey back to the
city, Gerrit Jongsma, brimming with excitement, rubbed his hands together in
satisfaction and exclaimed, “What a beautiful day that was!”
I didn’t date to
disagree. Katrien shook her head, but her indulgent smile belied her amusement.
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