My Papa

(This is the eulogy I read and the song I sang at my grandfather's memorial service)

My Papa had a huge heart. He was an amazing husband, father and grandfather. He was incredibly caring, thoughtful, and loving. His smile could light up a room and his quiet but warm personality made you feel immediately at ease.

But the things I am going to miss the most are the little things we shared together.

Papa taught me my first word. And of course that word was "bar." Wherever we would drive in Wooster I would point in the direction I knew the bar was and yell "Bar?!" No matter where we were I knew where the bar was and I wanted to go. The bar to me meant quarters and pretzels for my singing and dancing. Papa would laugh and say not right now and as most young children I would forget about it until we turned down the next street and I would ask again, "Bar?"

I would watch racing with him. I don't know the first thing about Nascar but since Papa loved it, I loved watching it with him. He would always chuckle when I got the racers mixed up and would start rooting for the "wrong" team.

Papa was an honorable World War II veteran. He never really talked about the war or what he went through during his three plus years in China, Burma and India. But in the later years of his life he wrote down his experiences and put them in a book so we were able to read about his war years. And right before he became too ill to talk very well his sharpest memories were of him leading his troops. He sat for hours and told my husband and I stories of his time as a solider and was so detailed he could remember what he had for breakfast before a certain march into a battle. I treasure knowing those stories and that part of his life he deemed worthy to share.

Papa was one of the few people who could make me sit and be patient. As a child, I was, and still am occasionally, a whirlwind. But he taught me how still and quiet I needed to be if we were going to feed his beloved squirrels. I was always amazed at how such a big man, because as a child to me he was huge, could be so gentle and soft with his furry little buddies. To this day I still love to sit and just watch the squirrels romp by and I think of my Papa.

I loved to brush his hair, always careful not to mess it up like he warned. He would sit and let me brush and brush and pretend to fall asleep, which was my cue to run around and jump in his lap. If I was near Papa, chances are I was in his lap, even as I got too big to sit there for long. Papa's lap was my favorite place to be.

I loved going anywhere with Papa. To run errands, to deliver a car when he worked at Underwoods, down to the A & W for a root beer float which always tasted better while sitting in the back of his truck. But the day he announced he was going to the library and I piped up "Me too, Papa, I want to go to the library too!" I got upset when he laughed and told me I couldn't come. "Why not?" I insisted. He just chuckled and told me this library wasn't the real library at all but the bathroom and well, there are some places little girls can't go with their grandfathers.

But most of all I loved to sing for my Papa because he would give me what I dubbed the Papa Smile. Ever since I was three years old and he would have me sing and dance at that bar for quarters and pretzels from the customers I would work to get that smile. And I never failed to get my reward. Each time Papa heard me sing he would smile so big and so bright, with that twinkle in his eye that let me know he thought I was special.

So I would like to sing one more time for you Papa. Just forgive me if my voice cracks or wavers because this is going to be hard without you in front me smiling that big Papa smile I love so much.

His Eye is on the Sparrow

Why should I feel discouraged
and why should the shadows come
Why should my heart feel lonely
and long for heaven and home

When Jesus is my portion
a constant friend is He
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches over me
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches over me

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches me
His eye is on the sparrow
and I know He watches
I know He watches,
I know He watches me.

I sing because I'm happy
I sing because I'm free
His eye is on the the sparrow
and I know He watches me
He watches me

His eye is on the sparrow
and I know he watches me
He watches me
He watches me
I know He watches me

 I love you Papa.