Given at mom's funeral: July 15, 2010
Over the last few days it has warmed our hearts to hear from all of you as you have shared how our mother touched your lives. Some of you knew mom from the Gamber fire department where she was one of the first four women to go through firefighter training and where she was a member for over 30 years. Many of you knew her as a 4-H leader where she taught children to sew or do craft projects, and also how to be kind and loving people and a lot of parents and children (many of them grown) knew her through her daycare and have shared with us just how much the woman you knew as "nana" touched and shaped your lives.
All of you have shared stories with us about the woman you knew as one of your 4-H moms, or Marching bad moms, nana, sister, or kind friend. One of my best friends and mother of one of moms daycare kids shared this poem with me and I'd like to share it with you:
Nana was your name
Your love gave you fame
You taught many hands to write
and also not to fight
All the children that you love
...you now look down on us from above
You treated so many as your own
now you are in your eternal home
Forgotten you will never be
Your in our hearts for eternity
-Amy Lyons
One of the things that I realized over and over as we have heard from friends and loved ones this week is how much mom loved and taught us to enjoy the simple things in life. She loved nothing more than to enjoy her morning coffee with my dad while watching the calves go out to pasture... or to close a day of camping around a fire sharing stories with family and friends. She was a great pinnochle partner and a visit with her sisters and newphews always included late nights where they would play "just one more hand" until the wee hours of the morning.
I'm sure everyone here already knows that the most important part of our mothers life was her family and children and of course her grandchildren. Whether taking a golf cart ride with John Eric through the orchard or holding her new grandson Tyler John for the first time, her grandchildren always added a smile to her face.. even during the toughest times.
Mom helped shape a lot of children through her life but the three of us were blessed to have her for our own. I wrote this poem for her a few years back for mothers day and would like to share with you what mom means to me:
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Mother
A mother never stops being a mom.
No matter how old her children get, or how far away they move,
She will still worry every night,
And call to make sure they are tucked in safe and sound.
A mother never stops being a mom.
She will still hurt with them when her children cry,
And laugh with them when they're happy,
Even if it means comforting them and cheering for them through miles and miles of phone lines.
A mother never stops being a mom.
She will still try to feed her babies a hot and healthy meal,
Every chance she gets, to nurture them and keep them strong,
No matter how big her babies get.
A mother never stops being a mom.
But along the way something
magical happens,
A mother may never stop being a mom,
But through the years she also
becomes a friend.
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The end of the poem says it all for me me. I was truely blessed to have a mother and a best friend in the same loving woman.
More than anything else our mom taught us how to love: to love ourselves, each other, and to love life.
My father proudly lets us know that in their 33 years of marriage that they never went to bed angry and told each other how much they loved each other several times a day. He liked to tell her:
"I love you forever and ever and always. You're beautiful. You're wonderful and you're mine."
Mom - we are so blessed that you were "ours" and all of us will love and miss you forever and ever and always.
Given at dad's funeral: January 2, 2012
My dad has worn a lot of different hats in his life: builder, chief building inspector, fireman, 4-H volunteer, Sergeant, friend, brother and devoted husband.....and it’s obvious to my family and I by the outpouring of love and support that he wore them all well. This morning I want to share with you just a few thoughts about the most important hat he ever wore (at least to me) and that's the one of being the world’s greatest dad.
My pop was the best there is. The best any little girl could hope for... from my very earliest memories I knew how much I was loved and I have him to thank for gently teaching me and guiding me through many of life’s lessons growing up. Here’s my top ten list of those lessons:
1. It’s ok to make a mess – I remember very clearly what the kitchen looked like the year mom let dad and I be in charge of making sugar cookies for Christmas… needless to say we weren’t very good at keeping the flour for rolling out the dough on the counter… or off of our clothes and out of our hair.
2. Try and try again - don't give up, because you can do anything you put your mind to. He and I learned this together as we often had to do and redo my math homework to get the right answers for it. We always got it done (I wish I could say we always got A’s)
3. Stop and smell the roses - or more likely a cornfield, tomato plant or cherry tree- pop loved being out in nature, under the stars, around a campfire, or simply taking his golf cart back into the orchard to sit and think (and maybe sit under a cherry tree and snack for a while)
4. Enjoy life, don’t be afraid to dance like nobody's watching. For many years when I was little, pop was in charge of the country dances at the fire hall and mom and dad always let me tag along even though they were way past my bedtime - I learned to two step on top of my daddys feet while the Santmyer Family Band played Swingin’ by John Anderson
5. It’s ok to change your mind- Jeff Barnes would be able to attest to the fact that dad changed his mind about what kind of car/truck/van or SUV he wanted to drive about every 18 months.
6. Never pass up a chance at good food! Dad new the schedule for all the fire department and church pancake breakfasts in the county (and probably a few other counties) and would generally be the first in line! Though sometimes his taste in good food was questionable as he was known to top his hot dogs with tuna salad.
7. Make the best of the cards your dealt - not only was he a crack pinochle player but he also knew how to take whatever life handed him and move forward with courage, dignity and grace.
8. Love and appreciate all creatures great and small – Dad loved starting his day drinking coffee and watching the calves go out to pasture. He also loved dogs so much that he couldn’t even walk past the ceramic ones in furniture stores without giving them a pat on the head. He loved those furniture store dogs so much that one time he couldn’t resist “adopting” one…and so he has a beagle named Jake that sits beside the couch where anyone can reach over and pat his head while watching TV.
9. Give back and make the world a better place - My dad was the best example I could have had for being involved in community, and for always stepping in to say "I'll help with that". One person said to me this week that my dad was an “everyday hero” and I couldn’t say it better.
10. Share love sincerely and often: My dad loved with all his heart. He had a hug for everyone and was never shy about saying I love you. For this lesson I am most grateful.
Pop – I am so blessed to have had you as my daddy and I will love and miss you forever and ever and always.
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