Leaving a Legacy
Posted by joyce4japan on October 16, 2007
My grandad passed away on Friday. A shock, as doctors and near-by family members believed he was better on Thursday evening than he had been all that week. Immediately phone calls went out and a flurry of activity began as we moved into the events that would honor the life of such a great man. The weekend was full of laughter and tears as we shared the memories of his very full life (1 loving wife of 61 years, 6 fun-loving kids plus their spouses, 13 blessed grandkids – a few of them with spouses too, 6 cheerful great-grandkids, and an endless list of fortunate friends).
I don’t know too many families that are able to find joy at the memorial service of a loved one, but leave it to the Smith family to put the “fun” in funeral. How could we help but find happiness in the celebration of his life. He was a strong, quiet man, who often sat in the background of all the chaos and commotion that his kids and grand-kids could conjure, but his deep chuckle was always heard among us. There was definitely a voice missing in the moments of laughter at each family get-together over the last few days, and each time I stopped to notice it the tears would roll across my cheeks. A part of every Smith family memory includes the deep rumble of my grandad’s laughing contributions. Oh, how I miss him!
Tomorrow we will celebrate this well-loved World War II veteran-pilot at his internment in Catonsville, MD – where his ashes will lie among the other veterans. Then the great family he built will meet once more to share our love for Grandad and for one another. As the dust of the week’s events settles,
I pray, especially for my grandmom, and all of us as we await to be reunited with him in heaven.
