Grandpa's Funeral Talk

The following is the talk I gave at my Grandpa Morley's funeral, June 22, 2009 (it's not exactly the talk I gave, but pretty close! The complete transcribed version will be in the life history, handed out at the reunion)

First I would like to tell my family how humbled I am at the privilege of speaking today. Thanks family.

It was hard to see Grandpa lying in his casket last night (at the viewing) because he was so real to me, real to all of us. The past fews years I have had the opportunity to record his life history. Today I would like to share some examples from his life history about how the influenced him as a grandfather.

Grandpa's 4th birthday, Nov 14, 1918 was the day the WWI armistice was signed. However, on that day he was not out celebrating patriotism, he was out gathering all his friends in the neighborhood and bringing them home for a birthday party. As he said, "It was a surprise to my mother, but we had a good time."

"Had a good time" describes what it was like to go visit grandpa. A place where the front yard was the ideal size for playing red light, green light, the basement beckoned imaginative play, the swingset was the sturdiest around and a pineapple sherbet ice cream cone was never far behind.

As we grew older, Grandpa rejoiced in holding each new baby, and we enjoyed the chances to sit and visit him, often over a rootbeer float. He supported us and we all have pictures of important milestones in our lives, with Grandpa by our side, encouraging us on. And this last year of serving him and caring for him was truly a joy.

Also, when he was a little boy he liked to go to the hospital around the corner and visit and have lunch with the nurses. He became a favorite with more than one of them. That describes how Grandpa was with people. He saw people as individuals and treated them as such. While we were proud to be Jan's daughter or Joe's son, Grandpa never referred to us that way.

A couple of examples of Grandpa's personal touch in my own life. He knew I loved bananas so if he knew I was coming to visit, he would make sure he got some from the store. If I just dropped by but he had some, he would make sure I left with one. A few years back I spent a year in Taiwan, teaching English. Shortly before I left, I got a call one night from Grandpa. Channel 7 had a travel show about Taiwan and he thought I might like to watch it.

Grandpa's physical presence is no longer with but his influence lives on because we all have a part of Grandpa within us. Due to time contstraints, here are just a few examples:

Grandpa loved music: Marchelle, Erin, Deborah and Cristine all pursue degrees in Music
Grandpa believed in education: Christopher, Erin and myself have all pursued advanced degrees
Grandpa believed in serving community: Rob became a firefighter and Melanie started a choir at her local elementary school
Grandpa loved Joe Morley's BBQ- Brent and Nathan are now building their careers at a place Grandpa loved.
We love you Grandpa! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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I rejoice in what a beautiful service it was. I rejoice in his life so well lived and in the gospel we all live by. And yet, I still miss him. Often. He was a big part of my life and I am so glad to know that the best is yet to come!