Rite
Rite By Fred Holt When Elbert Frazier hired Uncle Roy Harley to work weekends at the funeral home, some people in town wondered just how he would do, especially on Sunday, out in the country. Uncle Roy didn’t go to church much. When he was younger, he ran around to honky-tonks. He had a reputation of being tough. My mother thought he managed country funerals very well, in fact, because he was tough. Elbert worked with the families while Uncle Roy whipped everybody into line. He told them exactly what to do and where to sit or stand during the service. He also drove the hearse. On Sundays, he made sure that he got back to town by suppertime to catch Jack Benny on the radio. My mother played the music for Elbert’s country funerals. Growing up in Pike County, she learned gospel songs for church and prayers meetings, and she went su...