My dad, Ernest, ”Ernie” Granfors, died in 2005. His final wish was to be cremated, which we dutifully honored. His ashes were placed in a non-descript ceramic urn. The urn resides with my mother who has also requested cremation, so that their ashes can be spread together when the time comes. They had a Korean friend and neighbor who would visit them often, who also had a wry sense of humor. Whenever Kim dropped by, she would stop at the urn, and in a smiling voice greet my father with, “Hi Urnie.” A complete icebreaker and a nickname that stuck. I miss him a lot.