A couple of months ago, I posted this:
https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/6294482023612416/went-memorial-service-man-have-known-since-childhood
In one of those weird twists of fate, about three weeks ago, this individuals first wife (who left him in a spectacular fit of drama) met her own end by violent means at the hand of her latest boyfriend.
Since she was disfellowshipped at the time of her death, of course, they couldn't have a service in the Kingdom Hall, so it was held instead today at a funeral home.
And amazingly, it was a much better service.
Non witnesses seemed to out number the witnesses that showed up (I was surprised as many showed up as they did, considering tonight is the Memorial!). The talk was given by her son in law, and a remembrance was also given by her brother, who in turn read a memory from one of her co-workers. After that, a prayer. Then, there was a photo video, with "worldly music" like Stevie Nicks "Landslide". And the ceremony concluded with the song "Brass Monkey", for everyone to leave the sanctuary by.
There was laughter, and tears, and sobbing, all real emotions! It was a good sendoff.
And the irony was, by JW standards, she was not a good person. She had been married and divorced three times, was living with another guy, but apparently, was going to try to reconcile with her last husband (they had just met that weekend to discuss that) when the boyfriend, drunk and high, did the whole "If I can't have you, no one else will either!" and shot and killed her before turning the gun on himself.
On a personal level, my experiences with her were more negative than positive. She was the leader of the Hall clique back in our younger years, and did some very hurtful and mean things to others, including my sister.
So, reading her obit, I was trying to reconcile this person that I knew with the one presented in the description. Was she really a great human being, and I was just too begrudging to see it? Or was she different in her "worldly persona" than she was in her "Witness persona"? And why was the Worldy one so much better a person?
In the end, I found myself wishing I had known her "better side", and that made me sad. So many years wasted...
But I found it ironic that her first husband, the saint, the one who did everything right, was a find, upstanding JW elder, father, and all around nice guy, got the same, bland, generic black lettering on white background "memorial" service that most JW's get ("Insert name of deceased here").
Something is really backward about the whole JW culture, that's for sure...
