A final farewell...

On this very rainy day...

we had to say a final goodbye to Uncle Bill.

We were not prepared for all the rain (hence Libi wearing a skirt). Thankfully Aunt Linda brought us some umbrellas to stand under.

His final resting place is very near my grandparents in a really cool, old cemetery.

One final dry moment to throw on a Nana-made hat before we braved the elements.

I haven't been here since after my grandfather was buried, so it was nice to see my Grandmom's name on the headstone.

My grandfather served in the military in WWII and there is this cool marker next to his grave.

After a very brief ceremony...

it was time for hugs...

and a quick photo of the fall leaves which were now on the ground.

Uncle Bill had spent the past few years remodeling his house, so we took a spin by it to show Dad what a nice job he had done.

My Uncle and his friends met at various diners four times a week for meals.

In his honor, the family gathered at the Golden Eagle Diner for lunch.

There were lots of squishy photos,

stories told,

good food consumed,

and a chance to make some new memories with Lori and Joyce.

For a much needed fun break we spent some time in the afternoon inside a play area in the mall.

We met up with Cousin Debbie and her grandson Anthony.

There was tons to do in this play area: draw,

play basketball,

make music,

look at the amazingly cool Star Wars poster which is on our must-get-list from Toys R Us!!!

There was even a bounce house!!!!

But Libi's favorite thing was the karaoke machine!!!

It had a working mic,

and a camera so you could see yourself on TV.

My daughter was HOOKED!!!

They even had a dog named Patches who came out to play with the kids for a bit.

Libi and Anthony had fun getting to know each other...

and Mom and Debbie loved catching up!

Hopefully we will get to see them again soon :)

Thank you Mr. Bill

My Uncle was very involved at his church! The preschool class there made this bulletin board for him which was in the hall where the luncheon was served. It was so nice to know that we weren't the only ones who thought he was a special guy!

I was an emotional wreck during the service (and it was in a church) so there aren't any photos from it.

Libi was a trooper-- she didn't really understand what was happening at Grandmom's services in April, but she really understood today.

She spent her time delivering tissues to Mom, Dad, myself, and anyone else who needed it.

Lots of work colleagues and old friends came to the service, which was so nice. This is one of his oldest friends from high school with Aunt Linda.

It was nice to introduce Libi to some of those folks who had only seen her in pictures.

Mom's cousin Debbie came-- she was also at Grandmom's service. These two gals have such great memories of growing up together.

Aunt Lori and I got a cute picture together-- she's so wonderful!

Here are the remaining Harrigan kids-- Linda, Bill and Helen.

A spouse picture with Mitch, Lisa and Eric.

Lori's family and ours-- forever bonded by Uncle Bill!

Some family pictures-- might as well since everyone looked so nice :) Aunt Linda and Uncle Mitch....

Uncle Ed, Aunt Lisa, Elizabeth and Morgan...

the cousins-- Liz, Morgan, me and Libi....

Dad, me, Libs and Mom.

All of Lori's nieces and nephews were there-- Uncle Bill considered them his own.

In the evening we had a family dinner at Aunt Linda's.

Libi loved playing with their dogs....

and eating the lasagna! We loved the chance to sit and reminisce about Uncle Bill and what he meant to us.

Across the US...

This morning Ron dropped all of us at Burbank to begin our journey back east.

Our flights took us from Burbank to San Jose to Denver.

It was fun for me to be back at DIA-- I spent a lot of time at that airport during my years in college :)

Libs loved the fact that she could blow off some steam in this "castle" area.

So long Denver-- we will be back to actually visit soon :)

Getting a very long, squirmy three year old to sleep on the plane was a challenge but during our last leg of the flight we made it happen.

One final picture before it got too dark.

Our flight landed safely and we arrived at our hotel after midnight. It was a long day of travel, but nothing compared to the journey ahead as we say farewell to Uncle Bill.

A packing and sorting day...

Today was a super crazy day at our house...

but on top of the priority list for the day after Halloween was sorting all of the candy Libi amassed last night!

When all was said and done we had lots of sugary candy, some chocolate, and a few pencils/stickers/non-edible things.

Libi did a great job of entertaining herself today as I was packing for our trip to Pennsylvania tomorrow.

For those of you who don't know, my dear Uncle Bill passed away very suddenly last week.

He was only a few years older than my Mom so they were very close!!!

Our whole family is stunned that we lost him so soon after my Grandmom.

He was a remarkable man, who studied computers in college and could make them do anything he wanted them to do.

When I was little I called him Uncle Billy Tickles because of his beard.

He came to the West Coast just once, but we made the most of it! We drove from Van Nuys up the coast, through Oregon, and up to Canada for Expo 86.

He was a big guy, with an even bigger heart.

His long-time girlfriend Lori, whom I've called Aunt Lori since I can remember, is now stuck with all of us :)

His size was a bit intimidating to Libi, but she soon warmed up to him.

Tomorrow Mom, Dad, Libi and I will get on a plane to say goodbye to him.

I'm so sad that Libi won't get to spend more time with this remarkable man...

and am dreading another Harrigan family photo where another person is missing.

God bless you Uncle Bill!

You will be missed :)