I've been wanting to post this up for a while. Its really touching. Alfie's my uncle and Betty's his wife. Uncle Alfie passed away on the 9th of May 2006. His mother and siblings flew up to Chile for the funeral. This was sent by my Uncle Manuel, his brother, to my mother who forwarded it to everyone else.




On 12th May, we went down to the church parlour at 0830 hrs and viewed the body for the last time. We kissed Alfie our last good-bye. Yes, we placed a cross on his forehead and heart on your behalf. At 0930 hrs, the morticians sealed the coffin. Alvin, Gabriel, cousins and nephews of Betty and I helped to move the coffin from the parlour to the church. There, we placed the coffin before the altar. We stayed in the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart while Gregorian chants were played. At 1200 hrs, the church doors closed and we retired to Betty's parents place for lunch.

At 1400 hrs, we returned to church. Relatives and friends came to express their condolences. There was a sincerity and warmth in their kisses, handshakes and hugs. The service began at 1500 hrs with a packed church of friends and relatives. It was led by a Bishop Thomas who had just retired two weeks ago because of ill health. Six priests assisted him.

Bishop Thomas was stricken with a brain tumor that affected his vision and gait. He had to be led by a young priest. Bishop Thomas upon hearing of Alfie's death indicated to his priests that he will conduct the funeral mass. Bishop Thomas has poor vision and could see only near vision. Whenever Alfie placed his hands on his own, he would recognize him by the color of his hands. He loved him for his sincerity. Alfie goes to him for his confession. Similarly, priests in neighbourhood parishes loved him and volunteered their service for the funeral rite. Alfie touched the hearts of priests, princes and paupers because of his humility, simplicity and love of God. God, therefore, gave him a great send-off with a funeral mass presided by the former Bishop of Punta Arenas. We thanked the Bishop and priests and expressed to them that their presence helped ease our pain of our brother's loss.

At about 1600 hours, the coffin was placed in the hearse van. We walked to the cemetery following the hearse. A long column of friends and relatives followed us on Alfie's last journey. It was a long walk in the cold weather of autumn. We were concerned about mum's ability to withstand the long walk but she refused to travel in a car. Along the way, strangers who saw the hearse made signs of the cross and bowed their heads as a mark of respect. Such is the sincerity of this people in this small town.

The hearse reached the cemetery after about 45 minutes walk from the church. We placed the coffin on a three-wheeled device pulled by two men. The crowd followed in procession to the final resting place. The cemetery is a beautiful place lined by rows and rows of pruned casuarina trees. Alfie showed me this place on my last trip to Punta Arenas. He also showed it to the TV crew from Singapore when they filmed Punta Arenas. Betty's paternal aunt gave Alfie their family lot for burial. The burial was a quiet affair. We watched quietly as the gravediggers placed his coffin in the grave and covered it up. Again, friends and relatives came and expressed their condolences in their usual warm way.

I reflected on Alfie's death. He died relatively young. We all have to die one day. If we believe in our Christian faith, death is the beginning of an eternal life with God if we have lived our faith. Alfie lived his faith. He was not highly educated but he did such wonderful things in Punta Arenas that I waa not fully aware of. He loved God immensely. He would go to all church services and feasts like our mothers would. His acceptance of his Christian faith was child-like, unquestioning. He loved his wife, children, mother, all of his siblings, cousins and friends. He never had vengeance or hatred. He doted on his wife. He gave his children the best of education. I learned that he would bake his favourite banana cake and parcel them to his children once every fortnight. Whenever he spoke to us on the phone, his signature last statement would be I love you...If this was how he led his life, he must have returned to our God and is enjoying eternal happiness. His premature departure should be a lesson for all of us to LOVE and be at PEACE with one another.

I have accepted his death as a passing to a greater life with God.

With kind regards,

Manuel Gomez