Dad’s Rose

Witness: Betty Enoch
Location: Castro Valley, California
Date of Encounter: August 26, 1975

The day of my father’s funeral, my sister and I and our 10 children returned to my home in Castro Valley after the funeral. Marlene and I were talking about Dad and the funeral, mentioning how Mom had placed a rose in his lapel before they closed the casket. Soon after we smelled roses. Not making any connection, I went outside to my rose bush. But no, the bush was still not smelling like it should. Then I thought of the cologne I had purchased called “Roses, roses” and thought perhaps one of the children had spilled some. But no, it was still safely in the cabinet. Then one of us remembered the rose in Dad’s lapel. “It’s Dad,” we realized. Once we acknowledged that we knew it was him, the smell was gone.