April 6 was the date of Daniel Yoder's Amish Funeral visitation in Flat Rock, Illinois.
Perhaps, the most striking aspect of the visitation to me was how quickly it was all put together. Daniel had only passed away on Monday and by Wednesday morning everything was in place to host a visitation for what had to be a 1000 or more mourners. A rented tent was erected, artificial turf was laid down over a muddy field, Amish volunteers from nearby communities were recruited to help with traffic and to drive a shuttle to an off-site parking area. Funeral literature describing Daniel's life and funeral was printed and ready. All of this in the span of 48 hours. Sometime I'll ask about how they pull it off so fast. I'm guessing that the church has a "crisis team" in place that swings into action for just such an event.
Out of respect to everyone I wasn't there snapping a bunch of photos, but I did take a few that I thought were respectful and help show the events of the day.
A table was set up for visitors to place hats and coats on before entering the shop area where the Amish Funeral visitation was held.
A water cooler was on hand for anyone in line who wanted a drink. It was a pretty cool day, though, so not many takers.
There was not a sea of buggies in the way you'd find in other Amish settlements. At just a single church district, Flat Rock is a small settlement. Most Amish arrived by car or bus from other communities, so many, they had to set up an overflow parking lot at a nearby shop. Volunteers ran a shuttle to and from.
Signage directed people into the building where the visitation was held.
A line led towards the open casket and the family. A sad day for all, but faith is the foundation of Amish culture and they were all comforted by that.
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