Funeral of a neighbor.

Last week Hal Jensen, a neighbor and friend past away at a good old age. Hal was a farmer here in the valley, and moved here so long ago that he arrived first in a horse drawn wagon. He and his wife Athalia, bought and also homesteaded the Poison Creek Ranch, where all their children, including two adoped were raised.

My son William started working for Hal in the summers when he was fifteen. As he got older I would try to encourage William to find other higher paying work, but his answer was always the same, "I like to work with Hal."

When Hal passed on last week, his family asked for the red cedar pine casket. William and his wife made a fifteen hour trip, and we all went to the funeral. Athalia, Hal's widow, was so appreciative of the casket. It really reflected Hals life among the cedars and pines where he ran his cattle, grew alfalfa hay, and hunted during the season with his family. At the burial, it seemed so right that his casket was made of dark red cedar which practically glowed in the winter sunshine. It was a comfort to me that Hal's last resting place was warm wood and not cold metal. His kids shared that they felt the same.
It was also good to know that Hal's family's financial burden had been lessened because of the casket.