Jess here.
I’ve been MIA most of the week because my Grandpa Jim passed away over the weekend. Here’s a link to his obituary. Being a WWII vet, his burial included a gun salute and flag ceremony. I hadn’t been to a funeral with those ceremories included and they were very beautiful.
My family asked me to collect thoughts and memories into a eulogy and give the speech at the funeral. It’s an honor I’m reluctant to accept. There is something so healing about sharing stories and memories, so I’m happy to help the family with the task. Here’s what I read at the funeral for those who are interested:
Grandpa Jim was a marine and a hero to his family and community. His sons Buzz and Chuck grew up in a time where the heroes on TV were Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and Bart Starr. My Uncle Chuck remembers seeing John Wayne in a WWII movie and thinking, my dad did that. He’s a hero just like John Wayne!
After his three years serving in the Marines and fighting for our country in the Pacific, Grandpa Jim returned to Osseo and got to work. He instilled a strong work ethic in his children by living by example. He respected an honest day’s work, he showed up early, and left late. He worked while he went to vocational school, worked for local businesses like the Ford garage and the high school, and owned his own business. He did a lot of jobs that probably weren’t a lot of fun or easy like late night car towings or urgent EMT calls. Grandpa Jim did them without complaint.
Grandpa Jim was a model community citizen. He believed in being a part of his community and did so in many ways. He coached baseball, taught Sunday School, was a Fire Chief on the Osseo Fire Department, participated in the local Legion, was an EMT, and worked with the Osseo Cub and Boy Scouts.
No matter how active Grandpa Jim was, he was always there for his six children. Family was important and precious to him. He was a supportive and loving dad, even when his kids were in trouble (which of course never happened, right guys?). He stood behind his kids no matter what they chose to do. His family sat around the dinner table, eating and playing cards, and sharing stories. Grandpa Jim would listen to his family at the dinner table, joining in with a story or two himself.
My Aunt Tammy remembers the camping trips the family took when my aunts and uncles were all kids. There they were, packed like sardines in a single tent. The kids fished with sticks and fishing line, and with the help of Grandpa, they always caught lots of fish. Grandpa Jim told them that if they had any fishing questions, they needed to ask Grandma Donna because she was the fisherman of the family.
Grandpa Jim enjoyed watching thunderstorms with his children and grandchildren, even when they were afraid. Grandpa Jim would wrap his arms around them, protecting them from the rain and the noise, all the while explaining how thunderstorms were good for the earth. He said they shook up the soil and fed the crops. Lightening was ‘God’s Fireworks’. My Aunt Susan remembers Grandpa Jim helping her get over her childhood fear of thunderstorms with his bravery and his calm words.
Grandpa Jim was a fun and loving and fun-loving grandfather. Many of us grandkids remember fishing and watching football with Grandpa, or trying to figure out how Grandpa could wiggle his ears like that. I know I’m not the only one who remembers Grandpa teasing me by flicking his nose with his thumb, making fists by his face, and saying “Wanna fight?” My cousin Dan remembers when he was little, and wasn’t feeling well or was feeling awkward, Grandpa Jim would wrestle with him, examine him, and then prescribe him a knuckle sandwich.
In these last years, Grandpa Jim took great joy in his 17 grandkids and 21 great-grandkids who he loved so much. Whether it was music, baseball, softball, or school, Grandpa delighted in hearing about his large family and all their achievements. Even thought he couldn’t attend many of the events, he enjoyed the frequent visits we all made to the nursing home and he wall-papered his room in family photos.
Everyone remembers Grandpa Jim’s laughter and smile. My Aunt Gloria remembers him roaring and grinning with his kids over card games. My cousin Karla and I remember him laughing and smiling at the squirrels and birds on Grandma Donna’s deck. The nurses at the August nursing home remember his laughs and smiles in the hallways. Laugher and smiling made Grandpa feel good, even when he really wasn’t feeling so good, and it made all of us around him feel good too. His love of laughter and smiling reminds us to enjoy life, and to laugh and smile often.
We will remember Grandpa Jim for being many things- a marine, a husband, a dad, a grandpa, a great-grandpa, a community member, a hard-worker, a friend, and a very good man. He laid a solid foundation for his family and his community to live on and make the world a better place.
