PsychoSJG: I'm 26 years old, and I just went from being the youngest son to the leader of the family. I'm not ready for this.
PsychoSJG:Thank you all for all of your kind words and support. He was buried yesterday, and still managed to play some pranks at the funeral (sounds weird, but if you knew the details, it only makes sense that he did it). In the 2 days of the wakes, around 1000 people came to pay their respect, some traveled from other parts of the country. I posted a notice with the info in 5 buildings, and within hours the notice was all over the neighborhood. They even made an announcement at the bowling alley up the block and everyone stopped for a moment of silence. I know a lot of people liked him, but this was over whelming. The whole thing was nice and well done. Beautiful things were said. And we had a police escort for the procession. At the cemetery we played Spirit In the Sky by Norman Greenbaum as he wished. The wakes were filled with stories and laughter, as well as tears and sadness. Jokes were even cracked while my siblings and his siblings walked the casket through the church, but my father wouldn't have it any other way. Afterward we went to a bar restaurant where the family is regulars, and there were more stories, lots of drinking, a bread fight, and a lot of laughter. That's just how we do things. Today is our first day of rest, but there is still a very long road ahead. While that road will be long and rough, my family is strong and we will get through it and make my father proud. Once again, thank you all for your support.