Funeral arrangements
[Forward-dating this entry so that it will show up at the top until the funeral.]
I'm still working out the details over the next several days, but the broad plan is shaping up (I just got the call that I needed), and I believe folks can start planning around it.
So: assuming nothing snafus, Jane's funeral will be held at Houghton Chapel at Wellesley College, next Sunday (January 30th) at 1pm. We have the chapel reserved until 3, so groups that wish to do ceremonies (eg, Eastern Star) will have time to do so.
That's a bit further out from her death than I might have preferred, but it seems like the best date -- many friends will already be in the area for Birka, so it'll be easier for people to pay their respects. (And I can just hear her telling me that it's better to take a couple of extra days to get it right, rather than do something hasty and slapdash.)
The past day has largely been about chasing down the right people to call at Wellesley to make this happen: Houghton was special to her (it's where we got married), and it's big enough to hold as many people as care to come. I had a moment of panic yesterday, when I realized that the funeral home would really only hold 110 people, and that probably wasn't anywhere near enough. Houghton, by contrast, can hold 400 just in the central section (and more in the wings), so I can say with confidence that anyone who would like to come should do so.
I'll put out finer-grained details over the next week (directions and such), but folks should begin to plan on this basis. Please pass the word to anyone who should know.
The interment will proably be the following Monday morning; that's likely to be a smaller affair, but close friends and family who wish to be there will be welcome. And I'm tentatively planning for a memorial service -- a proper celebration of her life, once enough time has passed for the shock of her death to wear off a little -- in the spring.
I'm still working out the details over the next several days, but the broad plan is shaping up (I just got the call that I needed), and I believe folks can start planning around it.
So: assuming nothing snafus, Jane's funeral will be held at Houghton Chapel at Wellesley College, next Sunday (January 30th) at 1pm. We have the chapel reserved until 3, so groups that wish to do ceremonies (eg, Eastern Star) will have time to do so.
That's a bit further out from her death than I might have preferred, but it seems like the best date -- many friends will already be in the area for Birka, so it'll be easier for people to pay their respects. (And I can just hear her telling me that it's better to take a couple of extra days to get it right, rather than do something hasty and slapdash.)
The past day has largely been about chasing down the right people to call at Wellesley to make this happen: Houghton was special to her (it's where we got married), and it's big enough to hold as many people as care to come. I had a moment of panic yesterday, when I realized that the funeral home would really only hold 110 people, and that probably wasn't anywhere near enough. Houghton, by contrast, can hold 400 just in the central section (and more in the wings), so I can say with confidence that anyone who would like to come should do so.
I'll put out finer-grained details over the next week (directions and such), but folks should begin to plan on this basis. Please pass the word to anyone who should know.
The interment will proably be the following Monday morning; that's likely to be a smaller affair, but close friends and family who wish to be there will be welcome. And I'm tentatively planning for a memorial service -- a proper celebration of her life, once enough time has passed for the shock of her death to wear off a little -- in the spring.