Post by Pennyroyal_Tea (admin) on Oct 18, 2003 12:59:22 GMT -5
More than 1,000 expected to attend
By PABLO FERNANDEZ, CALGARY SUN
The gravelly voice of the gentle tough guy was no longer audible, but flowers and hundreds of phone calls lent the Hart House a sense of life a day after the death of Stu Hart.
While they reminisced, the family's attention turned to planning Stu's funeral, a service fit for a Canadian icon.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, including Premier Ralph Klein, Mayor Dave Bronconnier, casino czar Frank Sisson and sports figures such as Wally Buono, Bearcat Murray, WWE chairman Vince McMahon and a host of WWE wrestlers.
"We're going to open it to everyone and we're not going to turn anyone away because my grandfather never turned anyone away," said Nattie Neidhart.
"We want everyone to know how beautiful he was."
The funeral, which will be held at the First Assembly church, 6031 Elbow Dr. S.W. next Thursday at 11 a.m., will showcase a pictorial memorial and speeches by friends and family.
Hart, 88, died Thursday after a bout with pneumonia, a stroke and failed kidneys.
Flower bouquets and calls from as far as Mexico and Japan have flooded into the 98-year old house formerly inhabited by the patriarch of the first family of wrestling.
For the Hart family, which has dealt with a string of recent tragedies, the loss of Stu forces them to travel down a new path.
"We thought he could live forever ... but at least he's not suffering anymore," said Stu's granddaughter Nattie Neidhart.
"And he lived an extremely rich life and he did everything he wanted to do."
But a Hart family without Stu Hart is something family members had never imagined.
"My grandfather was the rock and everybody turned to him for support," said Neidhart.
"My grandfather put his spirit into this (family) and was the centre of the family and the centre of what we do."
With his father's passing, and with memories of brother Owen and mother Helen's deaths still fresh, Bret "Hitman" Hart said he can't help but feel the family's glory days are past.
"It's like we were a raging flame and we're now just a burning coal or ember -- we're remembering what kind of big fire it was," he said.
Neidhart hopes that Stu's death will allow relationships to be mended and help bring the sometimes-divided family closer.
"I think we should pull it together ... and we should do that for my grandfather," she said.
The Harts have already started to come together as many of his 10 remaining sons and daughters and several nieces and nephews gathered at the Hart house after Stu's death to honour the man their lives revolved around.
They shared stories and memories each had of the man behind Stampede Wrestling and responsible for creating the champions that shaped the sport under the World Wrestling Federation.
Canoe.ca
By PABLO FERNANDEZ, CALGARY SUN
The gravelly voice of the gentle tough guy was no longer audible, but flowers and hundreds of phone calls lent the Hart House a sense of life a day after the death of Stu Hart.
While they reminisced, the family's attention turned to planning Stu's funeral, a service fit for a Canadian icon.
More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, including Premier Ralph Klein, Mayor Dave Bronconnier, casino czar Frank Sisson and sports figures such as Wally Buono, Bearcat Murray, WWE chairman Vince McMahon and a host of WWE wrestlers.
"We're going to open it to everyone and we're not going to turn anyone away because my grandfather never turned anyone away," said Nattie Neidhart.
"We want everyone to know how beautiful he was."
The funeral, which will be held at the First Assembly church, 6031 Elbow Dr. S.W. next Thursday at 11 a.m., will showcase a pictorial memorial and speeches by friends and family.
Hart, 88, died Thursday after a bout with pneumonia, a stroke and failed kidneys.
Flower bouquets and calls from as far as Mexico and Japan have flooded into the 98-year old house formerly inhabited by the patriarch of the first family of wrestling.
For the Hart family, which has dealt with a string of recent tragedies, the loss of Stu forces them to travel down a new path.
"We thought he could live forever ... but at least he's not suffering anymore," said Stu's granddaughter Nattie Neidhart.
"And he lived an extremely rich life and he did everything he wanted to do."
But a Hart family without Stu Hart is something family members had never imagined.
"My grandfather was the rock and everybody turned to him for support," said Neidhart.
"My grandfather put his spirit into this (family) and was the centre of the family and the centre of what we do."
With his father's passing, and with memories of brother Owen and mother Helen's deaths still fresh, Bret "Hitman" Hart said he can't help but feel the family's glory days are past.
"It's like we were a raging flame and we're now just a burning coal or ember -- we're remembering what kind of big fire it was," he said.
Neidhart hopes that Stu's death will allow relationships to be mended and help bring the sometimes-divided family closer.
"I think we should pull it together ... and we should do that for my grandfather," she said.
The Harts have already started to come together as many of his 10 remaining sons and daughters and several nieces and nephews gathered at the Hart house after Stu's death to honour the man their lives revolved around.
They shared stories and memories each had of the man behind Stampede Wrestling and responsible for creating the champions that shaped the sport under the World Wrestling Federation.
Canoe.ca