When well-known horseman Paul Fout died in 2005 his body was placed in a pine coffin draped with his racing colors, which made the trip from Glenwood Park to Middleburg’s Sharon Cemetery on a carriage pulled by four horses driven by William Staples. There seems to be an endless supply of mourners composed of family, dear friends, casual friends or just people who once met the deceased in the check out line at the Safeway. In Middleburg, funereal receptions sometimes grow so large that a tent behind the church is needed to accommodate the crowd. Grandmother neglected to tell me what the heck goes in that center hole and I am still clueless. The plates (you know the ones with the hollow oval spaces to hold the eggs surrounding a center well) could be inherited from grandmother.
As soon as the word goes out that Brother has passed away the phone calls begin with the questions “Where is the service and reception?” and “Who is making the deviled eggs and crustless pimento cheese sandwiches?”Īs Charlotte and Gayden (who are from the Mississippi Delta and know a great deal about Southern funeral customs) point out, most proper Southern brides receive a crystal deviled egg plate as a wedding gift so they will be prepared to attend their first funeral reception as a new Mrs. When it comes to funeral customs Middleburgers take theirs seriously. It is a delightful read, a very tongue in cheek discussion of Southern funeral customs. Some years back, Charlotte Hays and Gayden Metcalf published a book entitled BEING DEAD IS NO EXCUSE. BEING DEAD IS NO EXCUSE by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays