Jim Gernhart's Last Funeral
Jim
Gernhart, 103, "the corpse of Burlington" who held
his next-to-last funeral on June 3, 1951, was not
around for the real thing when services were held
Wednesday, Jan. 23, 1980, at the Sage and Smith
Chapel in Goodland.
Jim died
here Monday night, in spite of the fact that he
stated that "I wouldn't be caught dead in
Burlington."
Jim
retired in 1947 and moved to Burlington from
Northwest Kansas, where he had been a farmer all of
his life. He received world-wide publicity when he
held his "funeral" in 1951, and down through the
years received basketsful of letters from people all
over the world. Many of the letter writers thought
Gernhart was loaded with money, and a large portion
of them were seeking a soft touch.
Gernhart
was probably the biggest tourist attraction the
community has ever had. Especially during the summer
months, tourists going through town would inquire
about where he lived. Many of these people made
frequent stops here, some of them becoming good
friends, but most of the letter writers were
ignored.
Gernhart
had the reputation of being a curmudgeon, but he
also had a much better side. For example, without
the knowledge of many persons, he devoted a
considerable amount 'of time to helping elderly
widows around town. He would run errands for them,
mow their lawns, make minor house repairs, and
perform many other deeds which the elderly could not
do for themselves.
He craved
publicity and therefore he was brusque, arrogant and
even vulgar when exposed to the many photographers
and newsmen who came in from out-of-town.
However,
his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Keeler, stated
that Jim had mellowed in his later years, and he was
acknowledged that 'he had a sense of humor. The Keelers "looked after" Jim as he grew older, and
every year they prepared his birthday dinner and
cake.
The
funeral publicity was not a spur-of-the-moment thing
with Gernhart. The death of his sister set Gernhart
to thinking. He was not pleased with the manner in
which his sister's funeral had been handled, and it
started him to thinking about his own funeral. To be
certain that his own funeral was handled right, he decided to have a test run. He would
be on hand to see how things went.
He bought
a casket, a $456 headstone and cemetery lot in
Goodland. Jim experienced some difficulty as the
community recoiled when they heard about his plans.
The first preacher backed out, his hymn singers
quit, as did the pallbearers.
But when
it was discovered that Gernhart's plans could not be
stopped, the community adopted a philosophical
attitude. He lined up eight new pallbearers and
there were 18 honorary pallbearers. It was estimated
that 1,200 people from the area attended the
services held at the state armory.
All of
the news services sent photographers and reporters
to Burlington to cover the story. Instantly there
was nationwide and worldwide coverage. People ate it
up, some of them agreeing with Gernhart, while
others thought he was off his rocker.
The Rev.
S. H. Mahaffey preached the funeral sermon,
extolling Jim as a man who had done many kindnesses
for people without general knowledge.
It was
estimated that Gernhart paid $4,000 for the funeral,
but he thought it was worth it. "Man who drinks
spends $1 for it and a man who smokes pays 25 cents
a day for it. If they would save their money, they
could buy a nice casket like mine," Gernhart
stated.
For
several years after Jim's funeral, he celebrated an
anniversary of the event every June, inviting the
governors, senators, . congressmen and others from a
wide area. He was always ready to participate in the
parades that were held, complete with mourners, the
casket and other paraphernalia.
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