The Funeral
Today was daddy's funeral. I think he would have been pleased. He was dressed in a favorite Harley davidson shirt, surrounded not by flowers, but by his favorite bears and harley items.
The funeral itself was to have the viewing period from 10 to 11, and the service to follow.
we arrived at 9:30. Originally, Eric did not want to go, and was going to wait at BJ's house, but I was not comfortable with that. Last night, i decided he would go to the funeral home with us, and could sit in the outside waiting room. This way, he could come in, if he changed his mind. I'm glad we made this decision, as he did come in after only a minute.
Tim, the kids, momma, and I spent some quiet time in there. We gave momma her space, let her talk to daddy and what not. Finally, we went up when she was done.
Amy was the first of our friends to arrive, and most all of our family and friends were there soon after. Uncle Phil was unable to come, and Scott & Michell were not there. I was a bit surprised, but I know how hard Scott was taking it all, so we understood his absence.
I was so glad that Kim, Beth, Amy, and Sarah came. I didn't realize how much I wanted their presence there with us, but it was so comforting that they were there for us.
Enoree, from Hospice, preformed the service. She did a good job. She sang The Lord's Prayer, had some wonderful things to say on her own, read my "speech", as there was no way I could have done it without breaking down, and read some things from BJ.
My speech was:
Dad was truly the most amazing person. He was the perfect mix of ruggedness and strength, love and compassion, intelligence and creativity, and humor and wit. He was never afraid to ask for help when he needed it, and he rarely waited to be asked for assistance from others before delivering it. There was seldom a friend in need around him, if he had anything to do about it. He didn’t care if it was lending an ear or lending money, talking out a friend’s problem or sharing stories over a beer… dad knew how to make people forget about their troubles and make them smile.
Dad was the kind of person that people naturally gravitated to. His presence brightened any room and his laugh was infectious. He commanded an audience regardless of where he was and everyone that met him called him a friend. Everyone loved dad. Everyone from the grocer store clerks to the “acquaintance of a friend” that happened to meet him.
But more than being such a fantastic person, he was an amazing father. I never questioned or doubted his love and his devotion to me. He stood behind me and encouraged me on every endeavor I undertook, even if he didn’t agree with my decision; he fought for me and fought alongside of me without question. He counseled me when I was confused or upset, and he lifted my spirits no matter the situation. And he always showed me how proud of me he was. It didn’t matter if it was a school related situation or a personal one, he would tell me how proud he was, how good I’ve done, how smart I am. And my response was usually the same “I am my father’s daughter!”.
I have a million wonderful memories of him, from the time I was very young until the last time I spoke with him. I’ll always remember how in each and every conversation, daddy would make me laugh; even if it was from something as silly as one of his “Ski-isms”, or something funny he’d seen on TV. He know how to make me happy, to make everyone happy.
There was no one that could claim to be a better person than my dad. “To know me is to love me” he’d always say… and the point was not arguable. It was an widely-accepted truth.
And now, with him gone, the world will forever be a darker place.
I love you Daddy.
I guess in their talks about dad, BJ mentioned that when she and dad became an item, he had told her "You're great and all, but it's all about my daughter. If you can't love my daughter, I can't love you." It was always that way, love her, or i'm outta here. I loved that Enoree mentioned that.
At one point, she said that if anyone wanted to say a few words, please stand and do so. No one was able to, except my sweet little Eric. I can't recall his speech word for word, but it went something like
Grandpa was the greatest guy. He was kind, sweet, loving, and funny. Sure, sometimes he could get, you know, like everyone, mean... but it was only if there was a good reason for it. He was always so good to me, and I couldn't have asked for a better grandfather.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house, from what I could tell, after that.
Towards the end, Enoree sang wind beneath my wings. My god how I cried. He was my hero, he always was. He knew that, too. Dad and I always had such a great relationship. Sure, he's gotten irritated with me at times, and me at him. But for the most part, it was always the perfect father/daughter relationship. He was my hero, and I his Mini-Me. I am my father's daughter.
After the funeral, many of the visitors were going to meet at dad's house. Frances and Sunny and Mary brought all of the food for us. They needed to get into the house to lay it all out, since we were not leaving yet. Tim offered his key, and most all of them left. Shane & Beth, Sarah, Kim and Aurora stuck around. Finally, BJ was finished and we left.
As we headed that way, BJ received a call to say the key didn't work. When we got home, there were 20 or 30 people sitting in the front yard, chatting and what not. We let them all in, and just spent some time together.
The food brought was amazing! Lasagna, meatballs, ham & Cheese, rolls, deviled eggs, dump cake (fantastic), and I'm sure i'm missing some.
At one point, we all came in because Uncle Phil had a song that he wanted to dedicate to Dad, for dad. He had asked Jason to play it for us all. I really wish Uncle Phil could have been with us, but of course we completely understand!
The song...
Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
So take the photographs
And still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf of
Good health and good time
Tattoos of memories
And dead skin on trial
For what it's worth
It was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
Greenday- Good Riddance (Time of your life).
Goodbye daddy. I don't know what in the hell I'm going to do without you! You were always my rock, my friend, my teacher... my daddy.
The funeral itself was to have the viewing period from 10 to 11, and the service to follow.
we arrived at 9:30. Originally, Eric did not want to go, and was going to wait at BJ's house, but I was not comfortable with that. Last night, i decided he would go to the funeral home with us, and could sit in the outside waiting room. This way, he could come in, if he changed his mind. I'm glad we made this decision, as he did come in after only a minute.
Tim, the kids, momma, and I spent some quiet time in there. We gave momma her space, let her talk to daddy and what not. Finally, we went up when she was done.
Amy was the first of our friends to arrive, and most all of our family and friends were there soon after. Uncle Phil was unable to come, and Scott & Michell were not there. I was a bit surprised, but I know how hard Scott was taking it all, so we understood his absence.
I was so glad that Kim, Beth, Amy, and Sarah came. I didn't realize how much I wanted their presence there with us, but it was so comforting that they were there for us.
Enoree, from Hospice, preformed the service. She did a good job. She sang The Lord's Prayer, had some wonderful things to say on her own, read my "speech", as there was no way I could have done it without breaking down, and read some things from BJ.
My speech was:
Dad was truly the most amazing person. He was the perfect mix of ruggedness and strength, love and compassion, intelligence and creativity, and humor and wit. He was never afraid to ask for help when he needed it, and he rarely waited to be asked for assistance from others before delivering it. There was seldom a friend in need around him, if he had anything to do about it. He didn’t care if it was lending an ear or lending money, talking out a friend’s problem or sharing stories over a beer… dad knew how to make people forget about their troubles and make them smile.
Dad was the kind of person that people naturally gravitated to. His presence brightened any room and his laugh was infectious. He commanded an audience regardless of where he was and everyone that met him called him a friend. Everyone loved dad. Everyone from the grocer store clerks to the “acquaintance of a friend” that happened to meet him.
But more than being such a fantastic person, he was an amazing father. I never questioned or doubted his love and his devotion to me. He stood behind me and encouraged me on every endeavor I undertook, even if he didn’t agree with my decision; he fought for me and fought alongside of me without question. He counseled me when I was confused or upset, and he lifted my spirits no matter the situation. And he always showed me how proud of me he was. It didn’t matter if it was a school related situation or a personal one, he would tell me how proud he was, how good I’ve done, how smart I am. And my response was usually the same “I am my father’s daughter!”.
I have a million wonderful memories of him, from the time I was very young until the last time I spoke with him. I’ll always remember how in each and every conversation, daddy would make me laugh; even if it was from something as silly as one of his “Ski-isms”, or something funny he’d seen on TV. He know how to make me happy, to make everyone happy.
There was no one that could claim to be a better person than my dad. “To know me is to love me” he’d always say… and the point was not arguable. It was an widely-accepted truth.
And now, with him gone, the world will forever be a darker place.
I love you Daddy.
I guess in their talks about dad, BJ mentioned that when she and dad became an item, he had told her "You're great and all, but it's all about my daughter. If you can't love my daughter, I can't love you." It was always that way, love her, or i'm outta here. I loved that Enoree mentioned that.
At one point, she said that if anyone wanted to say a few words, please stand and do so. No one was able to, except my sweet little Eric. I can't recall his speech word for word, but it went something like
Grandpa was the greatest guy. He was kind, sweet, loving, and funny. Sure, sometimes he could get, you know, like everyone, mean... but it was only if there was a good reason for it. He was always so good to me, and I couldn't have asked for a better grandfather.
There wasn't a dry eye in the house, from what I could tell, after that.
Towards the end, Enoree sang wind beneath my wings. My god how I cried. He was my hero, he always was. He knew that, too. Dad and I always had such a great relationship. Sure, he's gotten irritated with me at times, and me at him. But for the most part, it was always the perfect father/daughter relationship. He was my hero, and I his Mini-Me. I am my father's daughter.
After the funeral, many of the visitors were going to meet at dad's house. Frances and Sunny and Mary brought all of the food for us. They needed to get into the house to lay it all out, since we were not leaving yet. Tim offered his key, and most all of them left. Shane & Beth, Sarah, Kim and Aurora stuck around. Finally, BJ was finished and we left.
As we headed that way, BJ received a call to say the key didn't work. When we got home, there were 20 or 30 people sitting in the front yard, chatting and what not. We let them all in, and just spent some time together.
The food brought was amazing! Lasagna, meatballs, ham & Cheese, rolls, deviled eggs, dump cake (fantastic), and I'm sure i'm missing some.
At one point, we all came in because Uncle Phil had a song that he wanted to dedicate to Dad, for dad. He had asked Jason to play it for us all. I really wish Uncle Phil could have been with us, but of course we completely understand!
The song...
Another turning point
A fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist
Directs you where to go
So make the best of this test
And don't ask why
It's not a question
But a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
So take the photographs
And still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf of
Good health and good time
Tattoos of memories
And dead skin on trial
For what it's worth
It was worth all the while
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
It's something unpredictable
But in the end is right
I hope you had the time of your life
Greenday- Good Riddance (Time of your life).
Goodbye daddy. I don't know what in the hell I'm going to do without you! You were always my rock, my friend, my teacher... my daddy.