Harvey Flankman, 48, of Canton, made a bold move last Thursday when he arrived at Dolores Fleischer Funeral Home carrying a 16 ounce coffee in his right hand.
Bereaved onlookers looked quizzically at Harvey as he paid his last respects to the open coffin. "It just struck me as odd," said Philip Moyer, grandson of the deceased. "that a man is standing over my grandmother's decomposing body sippin' on a coffee."
The coffee brand in question, Dunkin' Donuts, was paid for by Harvey only a mile down the street from the funeral home. Harvey's wife, Patricia, tried her best to defend the actions of her aloof husband to reporters. "He really likes his coffee, and often says that he can handle any situation so long as he has his 'cup of mud.'"
The awkwardness of the styrofoam coffee cup did not stop at the visual, but carried onto the emotional when Harvey attempted to console the immediate family members by the casket. Being careful not to spill any of his coffee, Harvey kept his right arm at a good distance from the bereaved as he gave them a one-armed hug around the shoulders.
"The more I think about it, the more I don't like it," said Evelyn Moyer, daughter of the deceased. "I mean, he couldn't leave it in the car? It makes my mother's death seem like an after-thought. A casual, 'stopping-by-on-the-way-to-something-else' type of thing."
Harvey remained for the entire viewing, and although he finished his coffee halfway through the eulogy with a *slurp,* he found it would be impolite to get up and look for a trash can.
