Funeral today

Lee Schauer's obituary is now on line at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

The thing about obits is that, although they tell you the facts, it's hard to get a good sense of what the person was like, just from reading the obituary. An obituary is written so as to be kind to the people left behind, usually, so they don't have to hurt more than they already do. Lee called it like he saw it, blunt sometimes. Not an in-your-face kind of guy, at least when I would encounter him, usually at a party or at the Eagle, but damn direct when he spoke. He struck me as honest, solid, a bit wild too. A good laugh. I imagine that if he'd written his own obituary, it would sound quite different. I can't see him being easy on himself...

Hans and I went to his and Star's wedding, at Hartung Hall. Lee was in a tux, which was shocking. I was used to him in blue jeans and leather jackets. Yet, he didn't wear it as though it was uncomfortable--a man with a wide sartorial range.