When Mr. Bean’s best friend Herb passed; he attended the funeral with his humans. They met two years ago when Mr. Bean’s father, Charlie, was in a hospital. His roommate was Herb. The men had both grown up in New York City, so they formed a special friendship.
Herb lived an isolated life in an assisted living facility. He had very few visitors so when Mr. Bean arrived to visit his human daddy, it was the highlight of Herb’s day when the dog licked his hands.
“Herb had commented that he once had a Bichon Frise who slept on his chest, and being able to see and pet Bean was healing therapy,” said Jo. “Herb’s wife had passed years before and so had his daughter at age two. In our hearts, we felt that Herb’s wife sent us to make Herb feel loved.”
Jo and Charlie promised Herb that when he returned to his care home that Mr. Bean would continue visiting. They kept their promise.
Herb loved dogs and was tickled when Mr. Bean jumped up on his bed for a pat and a nap. Their bond was evident, so Jo ‘presented’ Herb with a photo of his favorite dog and Herb confessed that he kissed the picture every night.
Covid stopped their heartwarming visits, then Herb became ill and the threesome weren’t allowed to visit. Even when Herb entered hospice, they were banned from visiting. The family were heartbroken for Herb’s isolation and passing because he was dearly loved.
“It bothered us that Herb died without saying goodbye to his buddy and Charlie’s service dog. So we three honored him by attending his funeral,” said Jo. “Bean has never been in a church, and was a little angel sitting on the pew between us. When the priest said ‘stand’ or ‘sit’, Bean followed the priest’s directives. We were proud of Mr. Bean, he never made a sound during the service. I felt that Herb would be happy looking down from heaven seeing his best-furry friend in attendance. Just
then, Bean’s eyes started tracking something invisible. I believe it was Herb’s spirit. People attending the mass and the priest came up to us and mentioned Beans good behavior. It was a fitting farewell to his friend Herb.
Herb was rarely without his Gator baseball hat. The photo above is when he popped it onto Bean’s head and the well-worn hat was displayed at his service. Once care homes open to visitors, we plan on taking Mr. Bean to visit residents in Herb’s memory of his lifelong love for dogs.”
