Airstream
Larry Dunn, retired owner of Johnson-Williams Funeral Car Service in Minneapolis, MN owned a 1985 Airstream for several years. His was a silver over blue example, not equipped with landau bows. Those who attended the 1996 PCS International Meet in the Twin Cities will remember we used that vehicle as our "command post" in the hotel parking lot.
Other than the PCS meet, I had one other experience with the Airstream. While I was working for Roseville Memorial Chapel in the early '90s, we had a burial over near Wisconsin Dells one day. I was going to take the hearse and the family was going to ride in two rented limousines from Johnson-Williams. I don't remember who, but somebody suggested we should offer the Airstream to the family; that way we could all ride in one vehicle.
The family liked the idea and (as was a common reaction from most people who saw it) were quite intrigued by the Airstream. Jim Waller was one of the few guys from JW who was authorized to drive it, so he brought it over to the funeral home early on the morning of the trip, where we loaded the casket. Once the family and I were also on board, we hit the road for Wisconsin.
The trip was nice and the family appreciated that we could all ride together, although there was some light-hearted humor about riding in the same vehicle with their deceased loved one. The trip was fairly uneventful until we arrived at the rural cemetery for the interment. Naturally, the iron gate had an archway and there was no way the Airstream was going under it. I got out, walked to the back of the cemetery where the vault man and grave diggers were. (Those of you in funeral service know that, in situations like this, the grave would have to be on the opposite end of the cemetery!) After chatting with them for a few minutes, I asked if they'd be willing to help as pallbearers because we'd have to carry from the road.
"Oh, just pull your hearse through the gate and up by the grave," one guy said.
I shook my head, pointed at the Airstream, which was out on the road, and replied, "we have the super-sized hearse today and it won't fit through the gate!"
They had never seen anything like it and were still in disbelief as we opened the side compartment and, sure enough, there was the casket.
I'm sure we were the talk of that area for a very long time...!
Shortly after the '96 PCS Meet, Larry sold the Airstream (due to lack of use, mostly) and I don't remember anymore where it went. I do know that a funeral home in Atlantic, Iowa once owned a couple Airstreams.
