Fine send-off

An obituary in The New York Times today for Vietnam War chronicler C. D. B. Bryan includes this gem of a paragraph:

“Mr. Bryan was a smoker, a drinker and an avid and gifted conversationalist who effortlessly commanded the attention of people around a dinner table, his son said. He will be cremated in advance of a memorial service early next year, St. George Bryan added; until then, his remains are to be stored in martini shakers.”