Some of you that knew my Mom would appreciate this, so this post is for you.
For the funeral we were asked what music we’d like and the word “hymns” was thrown out. I went along with it because it seemed “appropriate” and then I got home and decided that wasn’t Mom. So, here’s what they played during the visitation and before the actual service:
Try to Remember (the Fantastics)
There’s No Business Like Show Business (Annie Get Your Gun)
Get Happy (Judy)
Anything You Can Do (Annie Get Your Gun)
Easter Parade (Easter Parade)
Top Hat, White Ties & Tails (can’t remember… but sing it with me … I’m puttin’ on my top hat…)
Heat Wave
Singin’ In the Rain
Make ’em Laugh (Singin’ In the Rain)
All That Jazz
I Am What I Am (La Cage Aux Folles)
Some People (Gypsy)
Ol’ Man River (Showboat)
Luck Be a Lady (Guys & Dolls)
One (A Chorus Line)
Send in the Clowns (A Little Night Music)
Cabaret (Cabaret)
Seasons of Love (Rent – because Mom threatened to kill me if I kept singing this song in the ER – five hundred twenty five thousand six houndred MINUTES… 🙂 Her attempt to keep me from tapping in the ER also failed – lucky her I just performed from my chair – 5 years of tap should account for something)
I Got Rhythm (American In Paris)
The Trolley Song (Meet Me in St. Louis)
Camelot (Camelot)
Don’t Cry for Me Argentina (Evita)
During the service:
You’ll Never Walk Alone (Carousel)
End of Service/Graveside:
Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz)
Of course, the song I’m listening to is “Mad World” from the Donnie Darko soundtrack.
The Big Blue Mess 
I’m glad I got all the CDs together. I know there are other songs that would have been just as good for Mom, but we ran out of time on the CD. Kudos to Jay for editting “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – there was a piece of dialog attached to it that would have made the congregation faint.Aunt Philis and I had a good time talking about Mom when we pulled the stuff together from her room to represent her on the display tables and Kim did a bang-up job setting it up. One of the funeral directors was amazed and complimented her to us and then later to her (which embarrassed her). Uncle Loyall did the photo layout with Kim’s kid’s help and the movie strip set the whole thing off, which Kim added.I know Mom would have liked it and I wish she had been around to see it. She would have used the phrase she used which indicated high praise “that’s really neat”.
It was an excellent idea and I’m SO glad you did this! It just felt “right.” It made the funeral more “let’s remember Tina Nelms!” I also loved all of the displays. You did a great job of putting together things that really did represent your mother.
[…] the funeral director asked which hymns I’d prefer to have played, I asked to play show tunes and handed him a CD. Mom’s music life revolved around musicals and it was only fitting that she should go out with […]