RIP Grandma Jean

 

Kelly's Grandma, Jean, passed away on July 8th peacefully in her sleep.
This was the eulogy I gave at her funeral last week.

 

RIP Grandma Jean
I miss you.

Especially when you'd make a joke, then wink at me.

 

 

Eulogy

Although Jean was not my actual grandmother, I had no problem calling her 'Grandma'. That's because Grandma Jean treated everyone like family.

I only had the honor of knowing Grandma in the latter part of her life. Over the last six years, I was able to spend quite a bit of time with her, especially after her move to Oklahoma. We spent a lot of time drinking coffee together and painting nails. And I loved making her breakfast.

I learned very quickly that Grandma had a remarkable strength about her. When Kelly and I got engaged in December of 2010, we drove to Apple Valley to share the news with Grandma. We had a great visit with her and I was introduced to her amazing apricot jam. Before we left, we asked her if there was anything she needed help with before we took off. She told us she needed help stacking firewood. Kelly and I started moving and stacking the pile when I suddenly noticed 82 year-old Grandma brushing past us with an arm full of wood. With her help, we were able to stack the entire load of firewood in under 15 minutes. And I told Kelly I had never seen anyone with that much strength at her age.

Grandma's strength was also evident in her relationships. Friendship was very important to Grandma. When she moved to Oklahoma, she kept in constant contact with her friends. Distance didn't keep her from writing letters and making phone calls. And when she made the move to the nursing home, it didn't take her long before she made more friends. Kelly teaches night classes at the technology center close to the nursing home and I would go visit Grandma on the nights he taught. I always arrived at dinner time and I'd find Grandma sitting at her usual table surrounded by her new friends. She'd keep us laughing as she finished off coffee and dessert. It always warmed my heart to see her in her element. Because she loved being with people.

As much as Grandma loved her friends, she loved her family even more. Family dominated most of our conservations. She loved to talk about her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews. She shared story after story with me about her childhood in Kentucky. And when we told Grandma she was going to be a great-grandmother again, she stopped everyone that passed by her in the nursing home to tell them about her newest great-grandchild. I know that Alex won't get to know his great-grandmother the way we wish he could have, but it was clear that Grandma loved him the first moment she saw him.

The legacy Grandma leaves behind is her fierce love for her family. And it's a legacy I hope Kelly and I can continue for years to come.

Grandma was a Christian and she loved Jesus. He was the topic of a lot of our conversations. I take great comfort in the fact that when she left this life, she was welcomed home at Heaven's gates. Grandma no longer feels pain. Her body is no longer fragile and weak. She is strong and healthy. And her mind is as sharp as ever.

Today, Grandma is singing with the angels.

God looked around his garden
And found an empty place,
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God’s garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered, ‘Peace be Thine’.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn’t go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

-unknown