Somber But Good Day

Today I went to Helena to attend the funeral of Guido Bugni. His family were old family friends and Guido was also one of my Chemistry Professors at Carroll College. Guido was a hell of a guy and a great professor. The funeral mass was at the Cathedral in Helena and was a beautiful mass. Monsenior O'Neal conducted the mass and he did a very nice job. His eulogy was a very nice tribute to Guido and his family. Guido was 87 years old and died from injuries sustained in a car wreck in Helena. Due to his injuries he was transferred from Helena to Billings and he passed away in Billings on December 22.

The family had a nice reception at the funeral home after the service. I sat with John and Sandy Jaksha at both the mass and reception and we had a nice visit.

After the mass and before the reception I took a drive through the Carroll Campus. It is amazing how much the campus has changed since I left in 1989. A lot of new buildings and facilities and updates being done to some of the older buildings.

After the reception I drove over to East Helena to the Galbavy's and then we went to dinner at a local restaurant. We had some good laughs and a nice dinner. Heath wanted a steak but his parents would not let him order a steak off the adult menu, but said he could order the Senior menu steak if they would let him. Well I told them, I would order the Senior Menu steak (since I qualified) and Heath could order my meal and that way the waitress would not have to be in a awkward position of a 13 year old ordering off the Senior menu. Well Heath did not listen too well on what to order for me. So it got a little awkward because we were correcting his order on the fly, but we got it done and just switched plates when it came. We had a good laugh about it.

I had a nice drive over and back and did not encounter any wild life, which is always a relief.

So while my trip to Helena was not for fun, I was able to get some nice time with the Galbavy's. There were a couple of tough moments during the funeral, but I was able to power through them. During the eulogy Monsenior talked about how Guido and his wife Marcie were inseparable and had a very special relationship. That put a lump in my throat, because that is how I viewed Jennifer and I. Guido had lost Marcie several years ago, so he certainly experienced what I am experiencing.

Anyway it was a somber but good day.