Condolence: My eulogy delivered at mom's memorial service. I left the pause notes in from when I delivered the speech as you should pause when you read it as well. All my Love to everyone who takes the time to view this site.


Dear Mom,

Thank you.

*PAUSE*

Thank you for the many blessings you brought into our lives.

Thank you for giving us the gift of life.

A precious gift passed onto each generation. You did not settle for just giving us life. You taught us to embrace life. To live it to the best of our abilities. Oh, there were conflicts and differences of opinion at times… But there is no doubt that you greatly influenced how each of us lives life.

Thank you for gathering us on Sundays. When my brother Eddie married and moved out of the house, you organized regular dinners so we could still spend time together. For me it was playing games with my brother Eddie and getting to know my new nephew and niece, the first of many to come. It grew into games of touch football or softball in the front yard.

Thank you for your Roast Beef and Potatoes, which I have never been able to replicate. Possibly because I have never cooked with Lard….

Thank you for organizing Christmas Eve traditions. Every December 24th, our family gathers at one of our homes. Everyone eating, talking, laughing, kids playing, gift giving, and usually a vicious wrapping paper fight… I have a fond memory of having been blindsided by a ball of wrapping paper thrown so hard it knocked the glasses off my face. When I turned there was my cute little niece giggling at me. So I returned fire…. Mom, while you have been away we have missed you at these parties. But this year you will be with us again.

Thank you for Trifle. If you don’t know what it is, look it up.

Thank you for teaching us how to work. We saw your example in the fields, in the barn, in the home, at the Redee Amber, and later for Xerox. Even in your later years, you would set goals and work toward them. At times leaving us astounded by what you had accomplished, or where you managed to go with no means of getting there.

Thank you for teaching us to play. You showed us how to win, lose, and most importantly enjoy the game. You taught us friendly trash talk. I saw you stay up late to top Paul or Eddie’s high scores on video games. Pinball I think.

I remember playing marathon games of Crazy Eights or Rummy into the early morning hours. I remember the first time I beat you at Scrabble. You were so proud of me, then proceeded to beat me many more times. To this day our family bonds while playing or watching games.

Thank you for instilling a love for reading in each of us. You were always reading a book and as soon as we were old enough you had us at the Library getting our library card.

Thank you for teaching us to value history. You were fascinated in old buildings and the history of places around us. You told me you preferred American History because you could actually start at the beginning and get to the end. Where as English history starts long before Christ was born and has 9 kings named Henry.

Thank you for your intellectual curiosity.

Thank you for teaching discipline. I am told we were well behaved kids when out in public. I know why. I have friends who tell stories about being spanked as kids. To me that sounds like nothing compared to one look from you mom….
(Seriously, did any of you ever get one of those looks from mom?)

Thank you for Birds Eye hot custard ladled over a homemade jelly roll bought from the Back Creek Valley fire festival.

Thank you for jig saw puzzles. All of your kids know that if we put the last piece in, even if it was the only piece we put into a 5,000 piece puzzle, we could honestly say:
“I put together the whole puzzle!”
Everyone knows, the last piece is the most important….

Thank you for food you grew and canned at home. Thank you for time spent snapping green beans around the kitchen table. My fingers may have hurt at the time, but the memories are comforting.

Thank you for the stories of your childhood. Tales of mischief and adventure. Your skinned knees from playing in the rubble of buildings that had been bombed during World War Two. Living under a rationing system. Your mom saving up sugar allotments to bake a cake. Pranks you played on class mates. Medals won for swimming. Academic achievements. Summers in Belgium with your Father’s family and trips to Ireland to visit your mother’s family. I remember watching the news one night reporting on a building that had just been blown up by a bomb in Northern Ireland. You teared up and spoke about walking past that very building every day when you were in Belfast.

Thank you for believing in me.

Thank you for stories about the Beatles. My favorite is that you once went on a date to see them play at the legendary Cavern, but it was too crowded and it was not worth it since you preferred Jazz at the time, so you left.

Thank you for letting me sing the song “Battle of New Orleans” at you while you drove the car. And I do mean AT YOU…
I would sing with glee but no ability... “We fired our guns and the British kept a-comin’ there wasn’t nigh as many as there was a while ago. We fired once more and they began a runnin’ On down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.”

It was important to remind you who won the war of 1812.

Thank you for teaching us charity. You donated large amounts of your time to the Shenandoah women’s center. You and dad held fundraisers at the Redee Amber for many causes and individuals in need. Charity was something you and dad both did as part of your daily life. If you saw someone in need you would help them.

Thank you for so much more than I can ever express. Thank you for being my mother.

*PAUSE*

Mom, you lived life with an unbreakable spirit. Even in your twilight years, as life became difficult, you made the rules and set your own course. The hardships of life and the weaknesses of the human body left you tired and weary. Now the time has come and you have gone to sleep. A respite from your illnesses. I pray you will awaken to God’s new day with excitement, renewed energy, and happiness.

But for now we must say goodnight;
“Sleep tight mom, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” God bless you, and sweet dreams my Love.

Condolence: You never gave up. You was such a strong woman. Your memory will always be with every soul you came across. R.I.P Beautiful lady

Condolence: To my siblings: I love you more than you know! Mom would be so proud of all of us and how we have stuck together and only grown stronger as a family. We will honor in staying together. Our family together was her biggest love in life.
To Mom: Reflection it's a powerful thing. I remember vividly that night watching you be flown away in helicopter and begging God to save my mom. I needed you and I didn't want to loose you. Well you did survive. I remember later feeling so selfish to have this beautiful woman reduced to what was left. Why why why didn't I pray for you to go home then. Now I realize more than ever that even though the moments we're sometimes far between there are wonderful moments and memories we got to share. There wasn't all bad and you genuinely still had moments herself of pure joy love and happiness. As family we tried our best for you we we're not perfect but who would be in such a situation. We loved the different mom too. You definitely were not defined by your stroke in the last 20 years. I also realize that caring for my mom made me grow up a lot faster than most 16 years old and in the end that wasn't a bad thing. We all have things that define us and this beautiful lady instilled all I needed to be an adult in the short 16 years prior to the stroke. Mom I love you and cannot wait to see you again!!!