funeral speech

I was the speaker at the mass for my grandpa's funeral....this is what I said:

To my grandpa:

I spent a great deal of time with my grandpa in the last years of his life, and I wanted to share just two things that I believe that he would think were important.

First, He would want everyone to know how much he truly loved my grandma. His wife, constant companion and friend, she was his reason for being. I was often the guest at my grandma’s for Sunday dinner. As she presented dish after dish of her amazing food, Grandpa would say to her, “Sit down, Mom.” And then he would tell me a story about her. About how she laughed at his jokes when they first met; about how every meal she served was better than the last; about her intelligence and thoughtfulness. And even though my grandma would be fussing over something on the other end of the kitchen, she heard him as he talked about how much and why he loved her. And he said these things to me because he knew she was listening and he wanted her to know how grateful he was to be sharing every day with the love of his life of sixty-two years.

Second, I will always cherish the memories of these last days I got to spend with my grandpa, when like so many times before, I felt like the most special, treasured person in the world. I know that my grandpa made all of his family members, friends, students, and colleagues feel this way. When you were in front of my grandpa, whether it was as his patient as he sat next to your bed, sitting across from him at the kitchen table, or even as a waitress serving him lunch, you mattered. My grandpa cared. He cared about the health and happiness of every single one of us, and to many others who could not be here today. He was so proud of all of us.

My dearest grandpa. I will never read the New York Times, or a dictionary, or a book of any kind without missing you terribly. You taught me to stand up for myself, to take the time to learn people’s names (first and last), that a dog really can be your best friend. You taught me that a life is never really over as long as you keep learning something new every day. You never knew how much your love, support, and praise meant to me and how much you will be missed by all of us.