AFTER DEATH... Funeral Arrangements
Confirming The Burial Spot
We had discussed various burial options before either of my parents died. Dad wanted to be buried in Punchbowl National Veterans Cemetery, but there was no room there for any more veteran graves... unless Dad was cremated. He didn't want cremation, so we had to choose an alternative. Dad had brought up the idea of being buried back in his Texas home town (Little River) since he remembered inheriting three burial plots there. This "inheritance" was never confirmed with paperwork and none of the relatives in Texas knew anything about it. No matter. It was not an option at this point since Dad was too ill to travel that distance.
If Dad had died first, we would have considered the veterans cemetery in Riverside, CA, since we expected Mom would live many more years and would likely be living with us or my sister in California during her declining years. But now that plan was moot. Since we didn't expect Dad to live much longer, there was no plan to leave Hawaii before his death. So Kaneohe State Veterans Cemetery was our best alternative to Punchbowl.
When I met with the cemetery staff, I found out they only do burials on weekdays. So we decided to have a graveside ceremony for just the family on the Monday morning following the Saturday funeral service. The cemetery was in a beautiful location surrounded by green trees and views of the mountains.
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