Remembering My Grandfather
This is the euology I wrote for my grandfather’s funeral. It’s close but not identical to what I said on stage. If I can get a copy of the recording of the funeral, I’ll update this with what I actually said.
I knew my grandfather for 22 years — and it wasn’t nearly long enough. Growing up, I looked forward to his visits every year. I only saw him once or twice a year, but I enjoyed every minute of those visits. I enjoyed flying kites with him at Sandbridge — even when he lost my favorite kite. I enjoyed doing “lots of work” with him, moving sand from one side of the beach to the other. I loved the way he read to me — even when I was forcing him to read “The Bingity-Bangity Old School Bus” for the 100th time.
Our relationship changed over the years as I got older and my life started to get more complex. As I entered high school, Grandpa became my biggest cheerleader. He always wanted to hear about my latest successes in work and school. He always wanted to hear about the girls I was interested in and the hobbies I was working on. Whatever the issue was, he always had an encouraging word, a wise observation, or just a listening ear. He believed I would conquer the world and he forced me to believe it too. More importantly, he encouraged me to stay close to God more than anything else.
After I met Christine, he always believed we would be married — even before I did. He heard about her and couldn’t wait to meet her. After he met her, he became her biggest fan. In fact, I think he viewed our wedding as a personal accomplishment. He may not have been wrong: I don’t think I had a choice about marrying her after he’d met her and approved her! He’s been a huge influence on my life and definitely helped to shape the man I became.
What I’ll miss most about him is all of the little things: holding his hands while he prayed over breakfast in the morning; the way he answered the phone whenever I’d call; the way he’d say my name; the long rambling conversations we shared: conversations about family, college, friends, work, sports, politics — anything and everything. I’ll miss listening to his stories. I’ll miss the way he dated every event in his life by either the girl he was dating or the car he was driving. I’ll miss his constant cheerfulness, his reliance on prayer, and his quiet strength. Whenever I needed a friend or a listening hear he was available. He was my life long friend and I’ll miss him until I see him again. God was ready to bring him home, I’m not sure I was ready to see him go.