Monthly Archives: March 2011

I come from a large Polish family. When we loose a friend or family member it is tradition for us to cook large amounts of food, baked goods, polish sausage, desserts and bring them to the wake with us. It’s our way of showing we care, Plus, during the time of a loss there is little time for the immediate family to cook and worry about feeding others. After the funeral we go out as family and friends for a large family dinner. we all spend time together and it helps everyone get through the hard times.

I think a personalized sympathy card is the best way to show sympathy to someone who has recently had a loss. Cards give you the opportunity to say things you want the person to know and sometimes it is easier to write them down then to say them. By writing sympathy notes It’s also easier to express yourself and say all the things you mean and the person will have that card to read again and again.

People die everyday. Relatives, family and friends. What differentiates a life from any other, from the people we know versus those we do not?

Geraldine Ferraro Died Saturday

“The first female Vice Presidential candidate who represented a major political party died this weekend.” She died this past Saturday while being treated for cancer. She was called an “American Trailblazer” born on August 26, 1935 in Newburgh, New York. She became a teacher and lawyer amidst much adversity as the daughter of Italian immigrants Antonetta and Dominick Ferraro. Two of her older brothers died early in life, “one in infancy and the other at age three.’ She attended Marymount Academy where she became a member of the honor society, joining several clubs and sports as a boarding student. She later attended Mary Mount Manhattan College on scholarship.
Ironically Ms. Ferraro became an elementary school teacher but wasn’t satisfied with the role and opted to go to law school at night while teaching a second grade classroom. She earned a JD from Fordham University with honors in 1960. From 1959 to 1974 she raised three children and worked as an attorney, pro bono work in and out of family courts that redefined what roles woman should portray as well as those they should accept. Her first political victory was when she ran and became District Attorney for Queens County New York. She had a hand in everything form the special victims bureau, prosecution of cases involving rape, child abuse, spousal abuse and domestic violence. In 1978 she was elected to congress.
The pivotal point in her was in 1984 she was chosen as Walter Mondale’s running mate for the next presidential election. Her charisma often overshadowed his on that campaign trail but the campaign was overshadowed by ethics and questions regarding Ferraro’s finances. The Reagan and Bush ticket ended up winning 49 out of the 50 states. During her life Ms. Ferraro was a Fellow at Harvard, a United States Ambassador for the United Nations Human Right’s Commission, a host of Crossfire for CNN and a staunch supporter of the Women’s equality Act. Over her life as a public figure Ms. Ferraro was many things to many people. She was a voice for many who otherwise would not have been heard, seen or counted. her family issued this statement. “Geraldine Anne Ferraro Zaccaro was widely known as a leader, a fighter for justice, and a tireless advocate for those without a voice.” they also go onto say she “a wife, mother, grandmother and aunt,” who believed in and was a testament to family values Many spectators on life’s stage regardless of sex , color and nationality have acknowledge her courage and generosity in dealing with legal issues as well as issues of the heart. As a relative candidly states she ” will be sorely missed.”

” Perhaps it is not the voice of many but one voice raised in righteous earnest that is the most piercing, most unifying and most meaningful, Cry Freedom….”

Writer: Anonymous

” If your candle did not flicker and fade as quickly in the wind, you probably left more than an impression. ” Writer: Anonymous

Farley Granger, Gome On March 27, 2011

Farley Granger was not a household name but he gained a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, near 1551 Vine. Most will define him as an American Actor. He achieved notoriety in the early 40s and 50s. He was best known for work done with Alfred Hitchcock: Rope (1948) and Strangers On A train (1951). Granger died of natural causes on Sunday March 27, 2011.
He was 85.
Granger was born on July 1, 1925 a San Jose native whose family moved to Los Angles after his father lost his auto dealership during the great depression. The family loaded up their truck and they moved to Hollywood. At 16 Granger was a student at North Hollywood High when he auditioned for Samuel Goldwyn. He was signed at 18 in 1943 to a seven year contract for a $100 a week for the next seven years. he had no training.
He completed his first film “North Star” with Goldwyn and The Purple Heart (1943) before he enlisted in the military. He returned from over seas to star in The Rope ( 1948 ) and Nicholas Ray’s They Live by Night ( 1949 ) Yes, the same director who later directed James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. That was followed by “Strangers On A Train. ” Events that hinted at a very promising career, a career that was way before my time.
After 1960 he continued to work mostly in TV and theater. He appeared on As The World Turns, One Life To Live, Hawaii Five O and Murder She Wrote. he won an Obis Award for his Off Broadway play “Talley and Sons” in 1986. His autobiography “Include Me Out” was published in 2007. In the book he mentions after he lost his “virginity twice in one night.” He said paid a prostitute and then slept with a soldier? At one time he was voted ” the country’s most eligible bachelor in 1950.” He worked with and rubbed shoulders with many famous names and places. He counted Ava Gardner, Shelly Winters, Roddy McDowell, James Stewart, Leonard, Bernstein, Gene Kelly, Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra as contemporaries over the years. Farley died without family or children, without the same fanfare that had birthed him as celebrity so long ago, was there underlying sentiment that he wanted something more? Did public consciousness ask him to compromise for living his life and continuing to work as an actor , his contributions to our culture? When it comes right down to it was that for what he yearned, to be remembered for, all that he would hope for?

I never did this before, but now I write sympathy notes to anyone who has lost a loved one. I appreciate this Funeral Notes website, especially, because it is a place for people like me who want to read about the subjects of loss and mourning.

I appreciate and understand the comments about grieving. It is so true that one must acknowledge that they are in the grieving process. I agree that we need stages in order to move forward in our lives.

These are great points to keep in mind. Has anyone ordered sympathy cards or sympathy acknowledgment from http://FuneralNotes.com? Please tell me what you thought of the quality and the timeliness of shipping. I need to order soon.

No, there are not instructions to grieving, but there is a human process of how it usually happens. This really sums it up. What about the Envelopes.. the personalized envelopes.. has anyone ever ordered those?

I have written notes and received notes on the subject of a friend or loved one’s passing. It is always enriching to communicate with handwritten notes, whether the subject is a funeral, a birth, or any important, personal piece of news.

I need to order Funeral Announcements, I really like how this site provides so much information. thank you, I will be ordering today. Sounds like FuneralNotes.com has great quality and ships fast.