Papa's Eulogy

Papa's Eulogy

"The best portion of a good man's life, are in his little nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love."

~William Wordsworth

My grandfather was a man with many acts of kindness and love, but none of them will go unremembered. I was fortunate enough to have my Papa around for a very long time. He was an enormous part of my childhood. As a babysitter he would play Barbie's with me - and didn't even fuss when he had to be the ugly Barbie with miss-matched clothes. He always let me have a bowl of Cheerio's before bed, and would watch countess hours of the "Whinney The Pooh's Say No To Strangers" video because it was our favorite. He was over to our house for big dinners, either for a holiday or special occasion, or just to visit. I even lived at my Papa's house for a few years. He let my mom and sister and I transform our bedroom from the retro red, orange, and brown it was to a delicate a feminine room with pink carpet and pastel green wallpaper so we would have a pretty room to call our own. My brother got the Star Wars wallpaper his own room, and when ever we were in the living room he would had us the television remote. Thus, again sitting thru many hours of "Nickelodeon", "The Bozo Show" or "Johnny Quest." I can recall several times when I was pouting or sad, and Papa would get my attention and then make a face or a silly gesture that would always make me giggle and bring a smile to my face. He was not a man that you could be sad around. His joy and his good nature filled the room when was there. He was always in good spirits and had smile for all who hazed upon him.
It is said that some people speak from the heart, well my Papa did just that…but he did so with his hands. Being the one deaf child out of 11 made for some interesting challenges for him growing up, especially in his day and age. This life he was given gave him courage and made him someone that has the ability to find joy in the small things in life. He enjoyed his Butter Pecan ice cream, even when he had 3 dozen other flavors to choose from at the ice cream parlor, it was Butter Pecan for Papa…3 scoops! He had to have his daily dose of The National Geographic Channel, The Three Stooges, and a Hershey bar with almonds to top off the night. When Hershey has it's 100th anniversary celebration and wrapped all of their chocolate bars in a commerative 100th anniversary wrapper from the 1800's my mom gave Papa a one pound candy bar with the hundred year old wrapper on it and he asked, "Is it still good to eat?" His simple, sweet disposition made him that lovable old guy. His impeccable fashion sense of mixing stripes and plaid and polka dots made him the easy target for a lot of jokes, but secretly I think he did it on purpose to make us giggle. Let's not forget his white tube socks with the blue and red (sometimes together) stripes at the top and always pulled all the way up to the knee. I was blessed enough to be his granddaughter and share in those joys with him. The many camping trips we took, always stopping at the same McDonalds on the way up north, always Papa's treat. When we would come over with our Halloween costumes on for show, Papa would unload all of his Bit-O-Honey's on us kids. I can recall the presents he would give us; the Fragle Rock drum set, the trumpets and kazoo's, mom and dad both thought it would be best to keep the noisy ones for us to play with at Papa's house. I can recall the smell of Irish Spring soap and Old spice cologne. I will never forget the clinking of the aspirin tin in his pocket, the sound of his laugh, or the comfort of his embrace. Many will remember him, for many different reasons; but I am sure that they are all memories of fondness and joy and we can look back on them knowing he is finally able to speak and sing out loud and hear what Larry, Moe and Curly sound like in their slap-stick comedies. Some say the finish line is not the end, just the beginning of a whole new race.

Helen Keller was quoted as saying,
"The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, heard; rather they are felt in the heart."

The Legacy
When I die, give what is left of me to children.
If you need to cry, cry for your brothers walking bedside you.
Put your arms around your loved ones, and give them what you need to give to me.
I want to leave you with something, something better than words or sounds.
Look for me in the people I have loved.
If you cannot live without me, then let me live on in your eyes, your mind, and in your acts of kindness.
You can love me by letting hands touch hands and letting go of children that need to be free. Love does not die, people do.
So when all that is left of me is love, give me away, to everyone around you.