Alana Lynn Ferrante - Funeral Fund

On Friday, September 18th, 2015.

I lost the most influential and important person in my life. I was less than 3 years old when I first met my sister. I was obsessed and spent all my time around her. Eventually though as you’d expect we became rivals. We competed for the final say, and even bowled against one another. This intensified to yelling and name calling and fighting, as you probably also would expect. But as we grew even older we began to respect each other in a way you can only feel when you realize they are your other half.  We sought each others advice constantly and even plotted against our parents “schemes.” Both of our lives were etched and fueled by one another. Despite the fact I was supposed to be the “Big Brother” she always lead me.  I know I was a large influence in emotional and spiritual guidance as I was always the one to go against the current but she was the one that excelled with it. She would sing and hum tunes everyday, then express herself in the most upbeat and enthusiastic way (this sometimes meant screaming that she was going to be late and can’t find what she was looking for.) While I was the quiet and calmly-collected one that always reminded her that it’s okay to be late once in awhile. Of course sometimes that’d make her madder but she always knew what I meant. It was a balancing act as I often lead myself too far astray, were I would not be concerned with my own future but just whatever ethics I could provide. But she was always looking out for me and motivating me to take on new hobbies and ideas.  She’s the one that I look to for an opinion above all others. Whenever I had to get a new haircut or needed a new wardrobe she was the only one I trusted with the final say. I asked her opinion on almost everything that crossed my mind as if it was the only way to know for sure.

Last year I spent most of my income on gardening. While she thought I must going a little crazy she saw deeply into what my intentions were really liked the idea. Then that summer she even became vegetarian despite the fact our house served mostly things with meat. This year however I spent the majority of my earnings on hiking gear. At some point it sparked something in her to want to do what I was dreaming of but in a way that worked with her busy schedule. She kept nagging me about doing a crazy trip all over the place before summer ended. While I was nearly broke after having bought all that gear I promised I’d go if she planned it out. After a few weeks she had it all planned out and even booked all the sites. Then we went on the best trip I have ever been on. Were so taken a way that we wanted make it a yearly thing to go somewhere amazing for a week. That was about 2 months ago, and no more than a month ago I helped her and Hannah set up their dorm room at UCONN.  She wanted to be a physical therapist but was going to start as safety and occupational health specialist.  We grew even closer in the past few months than we had a good while and I am so grateful of that that words can’t not express how feel right now. I have no idea what this means for my future as she was always part of my main focus towards life. I didn’t care what I meant to the rest of the world, all that mattered was that I could share it with her.  She was my twin in spirit. Together we fought to promote peace with everyone in our family and to bring them together and drop whatever dumb thing that seemed to cause tension between them. We fought to diffuse any and all arguments. We often complained how the value of the dollar is irrelevant to the value of life and our experiences. This didn’t always go over so well, as the world seemingly “runs” on money, and with our parent’s hardship over concrete cracks and bills that never seemed to go away. This was extremely hard on my dad as he would often mention that we needed to work harder, and he was right in every aspect. But we couldn’t help ourselves as living the moment was our priority as we are young and adventurous.  Though right now we face the most difficult decisions we have ever faced in our entire lives. My parents can’t think about money it’s by far the last thing on any of our minds right now and yet they have to try and make up the cost for all this. I honestly don’t care about the cost I’ll work to pay for it if I have to but all this expense is up front. I know already my parents don’t have this kind of money on hand to do it the way we want. I simply cannot fathom giving my sister, Alana anything but the best burial and ceremony that we can manage to pull off so that her memory can forever be remembered and accessible. She was too damn young for this to happen. She was my only Sister and My Father and Mother’s only daughter.

All Donations go directly into my parent's checking account once they are cleared by Paypal. 

https://www.funeralfund.com/project/alana-lynn-ferrrante

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Dad's Memorial Fund

After a down, up, down hill with various medical issues, the most devastating being colon cancer my dad passed away in March. 

For two years I was his primary care taker, during his final days in the hospital, he asked that he be cremated and part o his ashes remain in the U.S. where he met our mom, had his children and made a life; the rest of his ashes he asked to be sent to Haiti the birth country of my dad and mom.

When my mom left Haiti she never looked back but my dad always kept ties to Haiti, going back almost annually until he became to sick to travel, going will be important for us because this will be our first time to Haiti.

My sister(her two kids) and myself are trying to raise enough funds to pay for the trip to Haiti, we are trying to go In early August 2015.

The original plan was to go with my dads extended family, but the relationship has been toxic and complicated and the plans fell through in us going with them, so now we are trying to make it happen for ourselves.

Any money raised will go toward hotel accommodations, transport there, food. we want to go for no longer than a week.

So I am asking for anyone, everyone to help fund this event for us.

Click Here to Donate

#onlinedonations, #funeralfund

Legendary Hot Rodder LeRoi “Tex” Smith Dies at 81

By Terry Shea

Image courtesy of Graffiti Publications.

On June 11, legendary hot rodder and journalist LeRoi “Tex” Smith passed away in his adopted country of Australia after a “lingering illness.” He was 81.

Not from Texas, but Oklahoma, Smith was born in 1934 and claimed both Cherokee and Choctaw heritage. Still in grade school when his mother remarried, Smith took his stepfather’s surname and the family moved, first to Texas and later west to California and, finally, Idaho. After a stint in the Air Force as a fighter pilot, Smith joined Hot Rod as an associate editor in the early years of the magazine.

Tex Smith’s award-winning hot rod, the XR-6/Photo courtesy of Evan Klein/Highway Earth

Smith not only wrote about hot rods—he made them and raced them, becoming a fixture at Bonneville from the 1950s right through to recent years, though his actual racing there was limited to those early ears. After a few years at Hot Rod, which included his creation of the XR-6, an aluminum slant-six-powered modernistic car that took home the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster award in 1963, Smith went out on his own as a freelancer.

Along with countless articles for a variety of magazines, Smith, a prolific writer, penned dozens of books that many budding rodders enjoyed in the Sixties and Seventies, including such titles as How to Chop Tops; Complete Book of Engine Swapping (updated several times over the years); The Complete Ford Flathead V8 Engine Manual; How to Build Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge Hot Rods, and others. Perhaps his biggest seller, however, was a short book released several weeks after the crew of Apollo 11 first touched down on the moon  in July of 1969. Titled We Came in Peace, the book generated a reported four million in sales.

Smith also worked with other publishers in starting up several magazines, including Street Chopper and Street Rodder for McMullen Publishing. Though Smith was long gone from Tom McMullen’s business by the mid-1990s when McMullen died, the courts ruled that Smith held a 20 percent share and the subsequent sale of the company gave him a small fortune.

Smith continued to be involved in the hot rodding scene, even after moving to Australia about 10 years ago. He still maintained a home stateside, in Idaho, and was known as a regular at various hot rodding and street rodding events. Coincidentally, his autobiography, published from Australia, began shipping this month and is now available here in the U.S.

Ronald M. Arnott - Funeral Fund Campaign

My father passed away on June 19th. I searched and search for funeral home that I could afford, found really nothing. In desperation I asked someone to borrow me the money they, I finally felt like I could breath a little easier. We made the arrangements and got everything rolling a soon as I told them I had the funds because we were running out of time. After I made the arrangements they told me they could only give me 2,000, the cost is 5,000. I felt my world crashing down all over again. I need to pay 1500 to the funeral home by the 26th of July. I'm a mother of a 5 year old little girl and I don't know what to do. I wouldn't of made these arrangements if I knew I didn't have the money. If anyone can help anything would be appreciated.

https://www.funeralfund.com/project/ronald-m-arnott

Byron Roschke - Funeral Fund Campaign

My brother and 4 sisters didn't know about me till after our Father's death. My father always wanted to sail the sea's before he died, but never got a chance. I'm now trying to come up with the funds to cremate him and gather my family to the ocean and spread his ashes. At this time we are all struggling and have no extra income to put our father to rest. We are begging for any help please.

https://www.funeralfund.com/project/byron-roschke

#onlinedonations,  #funeralfund

Gloria Dean Wiley - Funeral Fund Campaign

Gloria passed on June 14, 2015, In her home. As a result, Gloria's insurance policy did not reach the two year maturity, therefore, a balance is due for her funeral expenses. Thanks in advance for your assistance on this matter.

https://www.funeralfund.com/project/gloria-dean-wiley

#funeraldonations, #funeralfund

Hunter Corzine - Funeral Fund Campaign

Hunter Corzine Memorial: In loving care and support of our dear friend, Wendy Daniel.

https://www.funeralfund.com/project/hunter-corzine

#funeralfund, #onlinedonations

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