Uncle Pres was known for his BBQ. He would go to all of the BBQ Tournaments and had quite often won silver butt and on one occasion even a gold butt.

Every year Uncle Pres would get all of the relatives together for a BBQ in the month of July. I guess it was because it was between June and Aug, Uncle Pres would never tell, though.

Uncle Pres was also know for his sense of humor; there were few that knew as many jokes as he, or would pull as many jokes on others through the years. Thus it was when Uncle Pres got sick and knew he was going to die he decided that he was going to be cremated. Uncle Pres did not want those that had loved him to see him in the condition he was when he died.

He was thin and looked nothing like he had when he was alive. It was said if Uncle Pres had had a funeral he would have sat up in the coffin after the first person had said “He looks just like he is sleeping,” and informed that person there was no way he could look like he was sleep as he was dead, get a clue.

Uncle Pres had a modest service and was sent off to be cremated. Normally this takes place and the funeral director is informed of the time the cremains will be returned. This being a case there was a service to place Uncle Pres’s cremains in the ground at the family cemetery.

The funeral home, being one that had placed most of the family that had passed on at rest, and even one year had a hearse overturn in the snow on the way to the cemetery, had received word the cremains were on their way and had set the time and day, with the families consent, of the placing of Uncle Pres in his final resting place.

The day dawned fair and clear and all were assembled at the cemetery at the proper time and the funeral director showed up for the service. Unfortunately the funeral directory had to inform us that Uncle Pres had gotten lost in transit. It was known that the cremains had been shipped to the funeral home by means of UPS and were supposed to be there but UPS had no idea of where Uncle Press had been sent nor if he had indeed arrived someplace.

If this had been anyone else, had this have been any other family things would have been a bit, shall we say, messy for the funeral director and UPS about the time it was known that Uncle Pres had been lost between here and there. As it was a few prayers were said and the hole that should have held Uncle Pres was closed once more, without Uncle Pres.

It was six months before Uncle Pres showed up at the door of the funeral home. They had managed to place many stickers on the box that held Uncle Pres so we knew that Uncle Pres had indeed traveled more in his cremated state than he had ever when he was alive.

Once again the family was called to convene at the cemetery for the final good by of Uncle Pres. This time the gathering was short a few folks and they had traveled quite a ways before and now were not going to do so again.

This is what I would call Uncle Pres’s final prank. I have no idea how he pulled it off but somehow he had managed to pull the ultimate joke from the other side. It was maybe a goof up by UPS that had caused it but I like to think that as his cremains were traveling hither, thither, and yon Uncle Pres was laughing his head off at playing the ultimate joke.

Those that knew Uncle Pres had the same thought: after all, did he not like a practical joke?

GB
TT