In the past eight years I’ve made funeral arrangements for two aunts and an uncle who all lived long lives, 97, 93, and 99, respectively.
They all had their funeral arrangements made and paid for prior to their departure.
When my first aunt passed on, I contacted the cemetery where she had made arrangements to be buried next to her husband. Her name and date of birth were already on the headstone. The morning of the service, I received a call from the cemetery informing me that there was no record of payment and they could not proceed with the service. In shock, I went to the cemetery and gave them a check and the service went on as planned.
The next week, while going through her belongings, we found the receipt from the cemetery stamped “paid in full.” I immediately headed for the cemetery. The person in charge apologized for the poor record keeping and refunded my money.
Four years later, when my second aunt passed away, I went to the cemetery where she had made her arrangements. To my shock, they also had no record of her prepaying. Again I paid for funeral expenses. Again, while going through her things, I found the all-important receipt. I went to the cemetery, again was given an apology and my money refunded.
Recently my uncle passed away. I had all the receipts before I phoned the cemetery. They told me the urn and headstone were not prepaid. I picked myself up from the floor and drove to the cemetery with receipts in hand. I was again given the same apology that I could now repeat by heart.
Please, if you or a loved one has made funeral plans, call your cemetery or funeral home where these plans were made to make sure everything is in order. Hopefully no one else will have to go through this mess we’ve been through.
DELORES ROBINSON
Everett
I would like to respond to the Monday letter, “Take better care of homes in future.” The writer’s generalizations are very ill-informed and just downright lazy. The letter said “abandoned vehicles and garbage” litter the lawns of our homes? Well, either the writer isn’t very thorough or is very racist. Did she really go knock door to door to be sure that it is our people who do this to their homes? Or is it just a given that natives are the culprit? I can walk down the streets in her neighborhood as well and see much the same thing. Who should I say is to blame for this activity there?
The writer’s anger toward Tulalip is quite transparent. The leased land is one topic of conversation, one that has always had an end in mind. But this time I am quite surprised to see that some people are still holding on to racism and printing and saying certain things when they should put a filter on their mouths, given the world we live in. I am truly sorry that we do not have pride or cleanliness, at least none that is evident to the writer, but I know differently.
I can only imagine the number of letters and e-mails that will come pouring in due to this woman’s “eye-opening” letter. The only thing you did to open our eyes is to let us know that people like you are still around. Oh, and my mother always told me if you don’t have something nice to say you shouldn’t say anything at all. But my dad always told me to stand up for what I believe in. So that’s what I’ll do.
DAWN WILLIAMS-LINARES
Tulalip Tribal member
I am not a Native American, but agree completely with Tuesday’s “Don’t judge a book by its cover” letter writer. (“No reason to judge members.”) The letter, “Take better care of homes in the future” was completely uncalled for. The letter writer left me with a feeling of disgust and shame.
Before she judges how anyone else lives, she should clean up her own act. Unless a person is harming another, how he or she lives is none of her business. If the writer doesn’t like the scenery along Marine Drive, she should find another route to travel.
BETTY LOU GAENG
Lynnwood
I am completely stunned at the suggested sentence for Michael Vick. The maximum would be five years but could be lessened? Would this be tolerated for someone not in a professional sport? I doubt it. The saddest part of this entire fiasco is that dog fighting will go on in this country. Cruelty to animals will continue and will until our human arrogance is set aside and we say enough. Animals are still chattel. Are we really civilized?
CAT McCABE
Marysville
Recently we had a resident go to the city of Everett complaining of the band noise at 8 o’clock on some evenings. Please don’t allow one complaint to affect our great kids in a great marching band at Cascade High School.
Let me assure the bandmaster that he has the overwhelming support of all of us at Mobile Country Club. Please play on.
DALE FISCHER
Everett
I second the Monday letter expressing concern about the removal of the beautiful trees that line 64th Street NE in Marysville, just so they can widen 64th to accommodate the traffic between I-5 and Highway 9, for the new Wal-Mart!
Why does Marysville need another Wal-Mart? Hasn’t the city of Marysville learned anything from the other traffic problems that plague this town? Now they want to add to the traffic mess by letting Wal-Mart build on Highway 9.
JANET NICHOLS
Marysville
was kind of glad to see columnist John Sleeper writing about Richie Sexson and was sorry anyone felt like the writer of the Monday letter, “Sexson paid enough to handle the boos.”
I get just as aggravated as anyone about his hitting, but I doubt very much if it is done just to annoy me. I try to think of something positive, like I did with Mike Cameron.
I have seen Richie catch balls thrown from our infielders and outfielders that no reasonable person could expect to catch. That makes one more out against them.
The same with Cameron. He would get balls that they hit, I thought, to Canada. One more out, against them. Somehow that makes it easier for me to bear.
Also, Sexson does not hit like anyone else. Each hitter is different. When he does hit the ball to “Texas,” and I hope one day they show it again on TV, he looks just the same. He has been playing long enough to “prove himself” and, I think, perhaps his hitting coach has also.
MARGARET FORD
Lynnwood
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