Buried my grandmother yesterday.

[RowdyRebel]

Lived to the ripe old age of 101-1/2, and the last few years she's been battling alzheimers, so she didn't know who anyone was anymore most of the time. Needless to say, it was time.

Anyway, I was up in the Chicagoland area for the funeral, and the people there are absolutely the most inconsiderate, disrespectful, and ignorant bunch I've seen in regards to funeral processions. Flashback to November of 2005 when my grandfather passed, I had to stop leaving the church to avoid being hit by a speeding HVAC minivan who blew right through the middle of the procession as we made the left out of the church. Yesterday, it was a gray Mack Vision pulling a 28' end dump that, despite traffic in the right lane being stopped as we made the left into the cemetary, I saw him approaching at a high rate of speed in the left lane & thought it best to wait for the asshole to fly by rather than try to make the left & get T-boned with the wife & kids on board (or I make it & my brother's family in the car behind get hit if they didn't see it and followed me into the cemetary). Even on the short 1/2 mile or so between the church and cemetary, we were in the left lane (because the cemetary was on the left) and traffic was passing us on the right.

Around here, and pretty much everywhere else I've been while touring the country in a truck, folks show a little respect by stopping & letting the funeral procession go on their way. Absolutely ridiculous how everyone up there seems to be in a big hurry to get nowhere. Hell, on the way up there, once we got past I80 we were doing 80 mph with eyes glued to the mirrors trying not to get run over. Even the trucks were cruising right along at 20+ the posted limit. ISP could've filled their annual quotas in a single afternoon if every trooper in the state had been there.

If I ever find myself in Chicago for another funeral, I think I'll rent a car & get the insurance...might not be so inclined to avoid the wreck. Only problem with that is I'd likely end up in jail for beating the fuck out of the stupid SOB that hits me. Guess it's best I just drive my own vehicles and not get 'em tore up.

[tjc transport]

sorry to hear about you grandmother. she had a good run at 101 years.

as far as city driving goes, i just dont go into cities any more. it is bad enough out in the suburbs. 

[mrsmackpaul]

101 is a good run

Cities across the world are always in a hurry, I just avoid them if I have to

 

Paul 

[mowerman]

Yeah, same here rowdy people are idiots everywhere and everyone is in a big hurry these days everywhere ridiculous.. bob

[mowerman]

Burying people is no fun at all My uncle Bob smoked cigarettes all his life and live to be 90 my mom which was his  sister did not drink or smoke and she died at 81 of Alzheimer’s. Strange things happen sometimes.

[Brocky]

Our condolences to your entire family....

I am with TJC and stay away from the citys!!!! My son in law, born and raised in Conn, Cannot figure out why I come up to Scranton PA and I-81 and across I-84 to their place instead of I-287 across the Tappan Zee bridge.. NO WAY IN HELL WILL I COME THRU NYC!!!!!

[1958 F.W.D.]

Back in my younger life, I was trying to get hired onto the Philadelphia Fire Department, and bought a house in the City to establish residency which was a requirement. Life went on and that did not pan out. I sold the house and moved up to the Lehigh Valley where we are now. I always thought I would miss living in the City, but every time I go back (have to get my cheese steak fix or go visit Philly Fire Dept friends at their firehouses) I can't wait to get the EFF out of there. Dennis Smith, a  NYC Firefighter and Author that I like once said about New York: "I have been here too long to hate it, but I know it too well to love it."

And yeah the Alzheimers/Dimentia thing sucks. We lost my mom in January 2020 just before the china virus hit. She had been suffering from dimentia and then full blown alzheimers. I wont go through the whole thing but it was 7 years of my Dad taking care of her and me and my wife stepping in once in a while to give him a break. In mid-December 2019 things got really bad and her brain started to forget how to tell her body to do things and she developed aspiration pneumonia and got admitted to the hospital. Christmas Day 2019 I went to visit her with my Aunt (her sister) and it was the first time she didn't know who we were. It was a kick in the stomach. She died a few weeks later on January 11, and not to sound like an a$$hole (I am sure many would agree with me) it was a relief and though my Dad would never admit it he was relieved. 

[other dog]

Sorry for your loss. I used to run to Chicago a lot back in the 80's and I liked going there then- recent years not so much. Driving there now sounds like running I-95 to Florida, doing 80+ trying to keep from getting run over. That's why we've been taking the back roads. I'm too old for that nonsense now. 

But if you're expecting to get into any kind of altercation in Chicagoland you might want to look into getting a bulletproof vest.

[other dog]

31 minutes ago, Brocky said:

Our condolences to your entire family....

I am with TJC and stay away from the citys!!!! My son in law, born and raised in Conn, Cannot figure out why I come up to Scranton PA and I-81 and across I-84 to their place instead of I-287 across the Tappan Zee bridge.. NO WAY IN HELL WILL I COME THRU NYC!!!!!

I used to go that way to Boston most of the time. Some guys preferred going up 95, some said 81 and 84 was 100 miles farther, but it wasn't. I think maybe it was like 17 miles difference, but you had tolls to pay all the way up if you went 95. Then later on H.H. told us to run 81 and 84 because the tolls were so expensive. It didn't bother me because I liked to run that way anyway, but some of the others griped about it. I never understood why they wanted to be in the city pretty much all the way anyway myself.

[mechohaulic]

11 hours ago, RowdyRebel said:

Lived to the ripe old age of 101-1/2, and the last few years she's been battling alzheimers, so she didn't know who anyone was anymore most of the time. Needless to say, it was time.

Anyway, I was up in the Chicagoland area for the funeral, and the people there are absolutely the most inconsiderate, disrespectful, and ignorant bunch I've seen in regards to funeral processions. Flashback to November of 2005 when my grandfather passed, I had to stop leaving the church to avoid being hit by a speeding HVAC minivan who blew right through the middle of the procession as we made the left out of the church. Yesterday, it was a gray Mack Vision pulling a 28' end dump that, despite traffic in the right lane being stopped as we made the left into the cemetary, I saw him approaching at a high rate of speed in the left lane & thought it best to wait for the asshole to fly by rather than try to make the left & get T-boned with the wife & kids on board (or I make it & my brother's family in the car behind get hit if they didn't see it and followed me into the cemetary). Even on the short 1/2 mile or so between the church and cemetary, we were in the left lane (because the cemetary was on the left) and traffic was passing us on the right.

Around here, and pretty much everywhere else I've been while touring the country in a truck, folks show a little respect by stopping & letting the funeral procession go on their way. Absolutely ridiculous how everyone up there seems to be in a big hurry to get nowhere. Hell, on the way up there, once we got past I80 we were doing 80 mph with eyes glued to the mirrors trying not to get run over. Even the trucks were cruising right along at 20+ the posted limit. ISP could've filled their annual quotas in a single afternoon if every trooper in the state had been there.

If I ever find myself in Chicago for another funeral, I think I'll rent a car & get the insurance...might not be so inclined to avoid the wreck. Only problem with that is I'd likely end up in jail for beating the fuck out of the stupid SOB that hits me. Guess it's best I just drive my own vehicles and not get 'em tore up.

Sorry for Your loss.  yr ago I was in Maine for a friends Sons funeral. up until yesterday (mass shooting ) Maine was always a positive for me.  during the funeral procession which was a long drive from Church to cemetery cars coming in opposing lane of two lane road actually pulled over and stopped out of respect. not just one car ; all of them. don't see that around here. 

[mechohaulic]

44 minutes ago, 1958 F.W.D. said:

Back in my younger life, I was trying to get hired onto the Philadelphia Fire Department, and bought a house in the City to establish residency which was a requirement. Life went on and that did not pan out. I sold the house and moved up to the Lehigh Valley where we are now. I always thought I would miss living in the City, but every time I go back (have to get my cheese steak fix or go visit Philly Fire Dept friends at their firehouses) I can't wait to get the EFF out of there. Dennis Smith, a  NYC Firefighter and Author that I like once said about New York: "I have been here too long to hate it, but I know it too well to love it."

And yeah the Alzheimers/Dimentia thing sucks. We lost my mom in January 2020 just before the china virus hit. She had been suffering from dimentia and then full blown alzheimers. I wont go through the whole thing but it was 7 years of my Dad taking care of her and me and my wife stepping in once in a while to give him a break. In mid-December 2019 things got really bad and her brain started to forget how to tell her body to do things and she developed aspiration pneumonia and got admitted to the hospital. Christmas Day 2019 I went to visit her with my Aunt (her sister) and it was the first time she didn't know who we were. It was a kick in the stomach. She died a few weeks later on January 11, and not to sound like an a$$hole (I am sure many would agree with me) it was a relief and though my Dad would never admit it he was relieved. 

similar story here except my Father left us in "97. mother stayed till 2019. brother and two sisters and I sitting in the nursing home  all thinking :ok her mind is gone" mom looked up at me and says "why there you are you SOB " we never got along,  I says - see she hasn't lost all of her mind !. few weeks later she left. 

[tjc transport]

4 hours ago, Brocky said:

Our condolences to your entire family....

I am with TJC and stay away from the citys!!!! My son in law, born and raised in Conn, Cannot figure out why I come up to Scranton PA and I-81 and across I-84 to their place instead of I-287 across the Tappan Zee bridge.. NO WAY IN HELL WILL I COME THRU NYC!!!!!

the few times i have to go to conneticut i take 287 over the tappan zee instead of taking 95 through nu yawk chitty.

it is around 60 miles longer drive, but take on average 2 hours less time. 

[RowdyRebel]

Well ain't that just a kick in the teeth. Before I left, I was told I could take 3 days paid for the funeral. Now, after taking the time off, I'm told it's only 1 day paid for a grandparent. Oh well...guess my check will be a little shorter than usual this week.🤦‍♂️ Guess I need to install one of these in the old Suburban... https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-capacitor 😂

[70mackMB]

Back when...   West bound out of New England we would run 90 - 86(now 84) - 209 - 80. l learned how to drive 209 following Roadway while being pushed by another Roadway. lol  lt's no wonder they threw the trucks off that road! Speed limits meant nothing, just go fast!    .....Hippy

[mechohaulic]

209 back then had a "nick name" ;;not a good one either ;;; darn can't remember it .ho chi min trail ????

[Brocky]

Mech: you are correct on the Viet Nam era name.. Living and running out of North East PA in the 70's I ran the "Trail" a couple times a week.. It was the village of Milford PA that objected to all the truck traffic. The village of Milford did NOT want a bypass in the 60's, afraid they would lose their precious tourist traffic trade, then bitched when they got all the truck traffic when I-84 was opened across NY..

[70mackMB]

We would run 209 if it was snowing in Scranton/WB.     .....Hippy

[HarryS]

Sorry for the loss of your grandmother. They are special people. I hear you on Chicago. I was there summer before last and between the demolition trailers whizzing by and roadside piles of broken concrete there wasn't much room to spare. Pick your lane and hang on.

[Brian L Blaylock]

Rowdy sorry to hear about the passing of your grandmother as far as inconsiderate people unfortunately they are everywhere not just in the cities I live in a very rural area and back in 1998 when my dad died an asshole farmer in his semi ran me off of the road while in my dad’s funeral procession out in the country over four miles from the nearest town 

[General Ike]

On 10/26/2023 at 10:27 AM, mechohaulic said:

Sorry for Your loss.  yr ago I was in Maine for a friends Sons funeral. up until yesterday (mass shooting ) Maine was always a positive for me.  during the funeral procession which was a long drive from Church to cemetery cars coming in opposing lane of two lane road actually pulled over and stopped out of respect. not just one car ; all of them. don't see that around here. 

machohaulic...... We laid my wife's uncle to rest last month in Cawood (Harlan) Kentucky.  EVERY car in the opposing lane, including police, fire, school bus', municipal trucks, etc. pulled over and waited for us to pass.  You just won't see that in a metropolitan area.  Getting to Starbucks before school or work is a greater priority than honoring the dead for 30 seconds while they pass.

Rowdy... My grandmother passed a decade ago.  Also 101 1/2.  Off the boat from Ireland at 16.  Married a NYC cop.  Lived in the Bronx until she was 94 all on her own.  Built like a brick sh!t house.  Never saw her sick a day in her life.  Never complained of a headache, toothache or stomach ache.  Could rake and bag an acre of leaves off my folk's back yard in a day well into her 90's.  Just don't makem' like that anymore.