Big Ed Bentkowski was an old fishin' buddy of mine and alot of other folks.He also was a bartender at a conservation club and a taxidermist.Want to marry him already don't ya?Any way he passed away about 10 years ago.I have about 4 mounts that he did for me as well as the 150+ people at the funeral home viewing.I go to the funeral home w/ 2 of Ed's and mine other fishing buddies Tom and Randy.Randy is kind of quiet at the reception but Tom has a little glow on.Tom is a little short and round in stature,plus a loud talker.But one of the best friends a guy could have.As we're mingling around the funeral home talking to mutual friends and telling fishing stories and such,we start noticing the music selection was really odd.It was'nt the normal elevator stuff we're all accustomed to at a funeral home.It was Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack stuff.So Tommy is getting disturbed by the music, goes out slams a couple of beers and returns.Well now he's a little louder and a little more ticked off about the music,starts talking about the funeral home,what kind of crap is this music.Now we're making our way to the casket to pay our respects,you could see our eyes getting a little watery.We get to the casket and there lays our buddy Ed.Well he was a little on the green side,actually alot.You know how when you're at the funeral home and there's alot of people ,you can just here a low murmur of people talking.Well in the midst of this murmur loud Tommy blurts out,"The SOB is green,Jesus he would have done a better job mounting himself!!"Then,New York ,New York starts playing and out the door he flew.Could have heard a pin drop in there.
We went to the funeral the next day, and were the last 3 to leave the cemetery,said our good byes and went to the funeral reception at the conservation club.Where then, we found out that Ed had picked out the music.The club was wall to wall mounts that Ed had done from deer heads to his famous 3" bass that he made every year as a trophy for the guy w/ the least amount of pts. in their fishing club.Needless to say the Tommy quote was mentioned all day long and great stories were told, as they should be.
Ed always fished w/ a 15' telescopic pole w/ a small reel that he could cast a mile.You always new he was on the same lake,because you could hear that loud swoosh sound all the way across it.He's been missed as a friend by many.

Great story.