| This past weekend, Barbara and I attended the funeral of Aleen Scorse. She was the middle child of Albert and Zina Hatch, and had seven older and seven younger siblings. One of the older ones was my father, Lorenzo Moran Hatch. Aleen was also a good friend of my mother, Norma Allen, and they lived together in Lake Elsinor, California while mother worked in the aircraft factory there building B17s during World War II. Aleen was very musically talented, and played the piano from her childhood. She was one of those people who could hear a song and then sit down and play it. Rightfully or wrongfully, I have always coveted that degree of talent. |
|
|
This is Aleen's daughter, Denise. Denise attended BYU and her tenure there overlapped mine by a couple of years, so I got to know her in that setting. It was a typical funeral, with Denise giving the "life story." One surprise (at least to me) was a number slated to be performed by Aleen's grandchildren. When the time came, a bunch of "old" people stood up and sang. Then I realized that Aleen's grandchildren would be the age of my children, plus about 10 years (due to my delayed marriage date). Later in the program was a musical number by Aleen's great grandchildren, and that fit my mental image much better. |
| This is Aleen's son, Ronald, one of the few of my cousin with whom I am on a first name basis. That could be interpreted as being a sad statement. |
|
|
This is Aleen's son, Jerald. When I was just a kid, they were stacking hay at Grandpa Hatches' and Gerald bet me I couldn't lift a bale and set it on the stack. He seemed quite disappointed when I did it with ease. Isn't it funny what trivial items stick in a person's memory? (Come on, it was only a two wire bale.) |
| This is Aleen's son, Arlo. I don't believe I have ever spoken to him... Do you see where Symantha gets her anti-social tendencies? |
|
|
These gentlemen were Pallbearers, and by a process of elimination they are: Jamie Chapman and Scott Scorse. Feel free to associate a name with a face. You have a 50% chance of being correct. In the extended Hatch family, you really can't tell the players without a program. |
|
|
One thing that attendance at funerals does (at least if you allow yourself the think about it) is to drive home the fact of your own mortality. Aleen was my elder by about 24 years, and her life span was circa ten years longer than average. In retrospect, twenty-four years doesn't seem that long...
|
|
On the trip up, we encountered this ursine creature traversing the pavement. Finding the camera, removing it from the case, and getting it turned on and focused, took enough time to allow the bear to move directly between us and the sun. The image is not publication quality, but documents the only "live" black bear Barbara has seen in the Arizona wild. To this date, and after living in Arizona for 23 years, she has seen: a coatimundi, the family of raccoons that raided our cat food behind the washer & dryer for two weeks, two mountain lions, two bobcats, elk, deer (only one buck, and that was when we were driving up our drive and it leaped over the hood of the truck), several eagles, both brown & bald, Gila monsters...thanks to Symantha for introducing her to the first one, snakes, lizards, javalina, coyotes & four or five desert turtles. And that's not including any of the oddities of critters & remains that I've seen at the Ellis' over the years.
Dad and I want to wish all of you, a safe Thanksgiving. We wish you all were with us during the holiday season, but know that you're all in our prayers. Love, Alan & Barbara |
|