Posted by Irby Pope, posted by Stan Bacon on July 23, 2003:

I have a report on Charley's funeral on 10 July. We put him away in due and ancient form. His cousin, Marian Fortner, a priestess (just don't know what else to call 'em) performed the ceremony and did a damned fine job. What made her presence even more poignant was her uncanny resemblance to Charley. If CWG had put a dress on (replete with clerical collar) when he was in his late forties, he would have looked just like his cousin Marian, or maybe vice versa. Anyhow, it was almost as if Charley had come back as a woman. Even her hands looked like Charley's and she appeared to be built pretty much like him. We had a pretty fair turnout for the event with many of Charley's relatives and townspeople present. I performed the mortuary duties displaying the nice flowers the class of '58 had provided and digging the grave. The service was at Charley's childhood church, St. Wilfrid's Episcopal Church using Rite II from the BCP (1979 version) (I'm sure CWG would have preferred Rite I, but there were no complaints). The service opened with the wonderful Protestant hymn, "A Mighty Fortress is Our God" and proceeded from there. Afterwards, we marched to the graveyard behind St. Wilfrid's singing "Onward Christian Soldiers". Marian placed Charley's remains, secured in a .30 cal box, into the grave and we all took turns depositing a shovelful of dirt onto the grave. At the graveside Charley's brother-in-law, Steve Rowe, delivered an impromptu eulogy as did others in the group. Many, myself included, became a little teary as different ones spoke of how Charley had touched their lives. The other half of Gudren's remains from the 1994 interment were also placed in the grave along with those of Charley's. Afterwards, we all proceeded to the elegant home of Charley's good friend, Margaret Ellen Webb where we consumed sustenance and had fellowship along with a few libations. Irby Pope

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