Hi. I’m Gene. And this is my street, Francis Wyman Road.
Here I am on my grandpa Skelton’s farm.
Now it has a number. It is number 92 Francis Wyman Road. Do you know I could see Cambridge Street all the way from this house? There was nothing in the way except flat farmland.
I married a Burlington girl, Jeanne Vigneau. That’s us in the middle.
So now I’m a grown-up. So deep in thought. What will I be?
How about a cop?
Like this guy.
Look at this — it’s happening!
I’m a cop — but I’m really a tinkerer. Here’s me in 1964 building a train set.
I love tools.
And working with wood.
Now I’m building something really special, and it’s just for myself.
See, I’m getting older. I’ll need one of these in a few years. This will save the family some money.
Beautiful isn’t it?
Yes, when I left the world in 2018, I did it my way, in my own vessel, built with my own hands. Kevin Sullivan at Sullivan Funeral Home had never seen a homemade coffin. He called it the “elephant in the room,” and everyone at my wake chuckled.
That’s exactly how my funeral should be — anything but grave. Life is more fun when there’s a twist. Same with death. And here’s a final twist: I decided to be cremated, to save space at the Knowles section of the Chestnut Hill Cemetery (I’ve got a big family).
So my sons carried my ashes inside my vessel, but then buried my ashes inside another container.
My coffin? It’s back in the basement. Will it have another passenger someday? We’ll see.
