Jeff Maurer spoke softly, tears forming in the corner of his slightly reddened eyes.
He talked about Reina, whose name means “Queen” in Spanish. She lived up to the title.
Reina was a leader and an athlete, Maurer said. She was strong and agile with a bit of an attitude.
Sarah, on the other hand, was quiet and reserved. She would wake up in the morning, have a bite to eat and then settle in for a nap, Maurer said with a smile.
Both Reina and Sarah touched Maurer’s heart, both were beloved members of his family. Which made losing them tough to handle.
Maurer was forced to say goodbye to both parakeets this year, pets that he loved and cared for. And on Saturday, he took time to honor them each.
Maurer was one of about 50 people to take part in Kuhn Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc.’s seventh annual pet memorial service. The event is designed to give pet parents a chance to celebrate and mourn the cherished companions who passed away over the last year.
“The people who come here are just so appreciative to have a way to honor their pet,” said Deb Evans, community and family service director at the funeral home. “It’s a way to repay the unconditional love they received from them.”
Evans said that 65 pets were being honor during Saturday’s ceremony, held at Kuhn’s facility in Temple. Each had its name printed on a Christmas ornament, which their grieving owners were able to hang on a Christmas tree glowing with white lights.
They did so one by one as Evans read the pets’ names aloud. Names like Bud Bud and Diesel and Cotton Tail and Dixie Rose and Ruby.
“Each one deserves their own spotlight,” Evans said of the ritual.
Following the ceremony, the tree was to be planted somewhere in Muhlenberg Township in recognition of the pets.
The Rev. Katie Lyon of Atonement Lutheran Churched served as officiate of the memorial service. She spoke as pets as humans’ “best friends,” saying the love unconditionally and inspire people to try to love the same way.
Pets help their humans feel less lonely, Lyon said, they teach them to focus on the simple things in life, to be centered and to be peaceful. They make their owners smile when they’re having bad days, make them laugh when they’re feeling down.
“They are good for our souls,” she said.
Pets are a gift, Lyon said, but unfortunately one that too often leave us sooner than we’d like.
“We always want a little more time with them,” she said. “We always want one more moment. That’s why we’re gathered here today.”
Maurer said he was glad for the opportunity to mourn Reina and Sarah that the service provided.
“I never got closure,” the Wyomissing man said. “It’s not like a dog or a cat, where you can mourn publicly. Birds are a whole different thing.
“I guess I’m here because I feel I owe them,” he added. “I couldn’t do anything else to help them, so I’m doing this.”
Kevin and Tracey Stong felt much the same way. They attended the service to honor their cat, Raj.
Kevin had Raj since she was a kitten, and spent 10 loving years with her.
“I miss him, we had a special bond,” Kevin said, adding that he hoped the ceremony would provide him with a sense of closure This is just a way to say goodbye, something other than just doing it at home.”
Debbi Arnold was also looking for a sense of closure, having lost two of her cats about two months ago. Fourteen-year-old Smokey went first, with 8-year-old Zoey following four days later.
“I think she was heartbroken,” she said of Zoey.
Arnold said both Smokey and Zoey were “good cats.” Smokey was personable, always coming to sit in her lap when she got home from work and sleeping on her chest at night.
Zoey was more laid back, Arnold said, happy to lounge around by herself and seldom seeking attention.
“I’m here for them,” she said of attending Saturday’s service.
Source: Berkshire mont
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