Combined funeral for couple
A Gore couple who were married for more than 65 years died within 10 days of each other and had a rare combined funeral in the town last week.
The double funeral of Bill and Lavenia Gerken took place mainly because the surging interest in country music had booked out every venue in Gore.
Mr Gerken was first to die, of natural causes on May 23.
Daughter Kerry Gerken said her father did not want to go but he just slipped away.
"And as soon as he went, Mum just gave up the ghost. She went downhill quite fast," she said.
Both were 88.
A funeral could not be held for Mr Gerken in Gore in the last week of May as all venues were booked out for the Tussock Country music festival which led into the New Zealand Gold Guitar Awards.
"There was just no venues available, so we had to wait until the music was finished."
Mrs Gerken was moved into hospital on Friday, May 30, and by then it was not looking good for her.
"It was like Mum went downhill so fast so she could be with Dad. She didn't like being without him."
The idea of a combined funeral was discussed at the weekend by the family if Mrs Gerken died before the Tuesday ceremony.
Mrs Gerken died on the Monday night.
The funeral then took place in front of a big crowd at the RSA rooms in Gore, with a mix of humour and sadness.
Aurora Funeral Services had swung into action and seamlessly changed the funeral for one Gerken to two.
Mrs Gerken was born in Australia but moved across the Ditch when she was 17 and met her future husband through friends.
They had three children, six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
"They had a great sense of humour, the two of them, they loved to laugh."
Ms Gerken quipped at the funeral that her father would be loving the double funeral.
"Two for the price of one, he would say."
stephen.hepburn@allliedpress.co.nz
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