A eulogy to my Grandmother
My Grandma Sharon
When I started writing this eulogy, my first attempts were unsuccessful because I kept staring at a blank piece of paper.
It wasn’t writer’s block or lack of ideas
But, how does one even begin to reflect on a near-century of life in a few minutes?
My grandma had seen a lot of the world in her 93 years. In looking up the year of her birth, 1928, some monumental events took place
Three weeks before she was born, Mickey Mouse first appeared
Only 35% of homes had telephones
and Iron Counties’ population nearly doubled to nearly 20,000 due to a mining boom
Only a few things have changed in the succeeding ten decades
I wanted to find a quote that described her values in how she lived. I looked at authors, philosophers, and even scripture
After a while, I found the perfect one. In the words of the legendary Vince Lombardi, Sharon Palmer valued God, Family, and the Green Bay Packers in that order.
But in taking a deeper look, she lived her values through her actions and not her words. For example
Optimism- She always looked at the glass as half full.
Sure, she had been dealt her fair share of tough breaks in life, but she always tried to draw a positive view and use it to encourage herself and others to persevere in whatever they were going through.
She never held a grudge-She always saw the best in people, giving them the benefit of the doubt and treating them no different from anyone else
Helper- The section of her obituary that stuck out the most was the line that said she helped people often.
She always knew when your birthday was, even in her later years.
She always sent cards on holidays (I think she kept dollar general in business) and always checked in with phone calls, letting you know she was thinking about you.
She was not only active with her family but community organizations, including the American Legion, where she was a loyal member for seven decades.
No Filter- One thing, especially in her later years, she developed or lacked a filter. She never swore, but she says whatever comes to her head.
This goes from describing in great detail how someone looked like her favorite target, “Aaron Rodgers needs to cut his hair.” She was a talker who was blessed by the gift of gab.
A phone call with her could last 5 minutes or 55 minutes, with you only saying the words, “yeah, ok, wow.”
Good Sport-She was a good sport who went with the flow.
Around 20–25 years ago, we were down visiting her for her birthday and wanted to have a party for her.
My brother and I were in early grades and were at our fair share of birthday parties. The girls always had Barbie-themed partiers, so we insisted on having a pink barbie party, and she went with it.
Tough- She was an iron lady, and there is no better story than in the last month of her life.
She was diagnosed with severe health issues, including her heart, and we expected her not to make it a few more days.
Still, as she had so many times, she lived another month with her grit, determination, and even a little sisu and great help from the Iron River Care Center.
She never complained and always kept a positive attitude during that time, which put us at ease, even when the end was near.
Family- At the top of the list, it was family. Christmas time, she was happy to show you the stack of Christmas cards and go over how everyone was doing.
Her house was a must-stop visit for anyone going through the area.
She had those thick photo albums in chronological order, ready to go through again and again, and again and again.
These are just a few of her characteristics and why saying goodbye is very hard.
There is no doubt we will miss her., I wanted to read a poem that, in essence, described her life in full. It’s titled “Gone from Us” by an unknown author.
Gone From Us …
Gone from us that smiling face,
The cheerful pleasant ways,
The heart that won so many friends,
In bygone, happy days.
A life made beautiful by kindly deeds,
A helping hand for others’ needs.
To a beautiful life,
Comes a happy end,
She died as she lived,
Everyone’s friend.
Author Unknown
We will be thinking of her many times. Football season, deer camp, birthdays, weddings or when you have received some good news and you just want someone to talk too.
But, in taking a page from her playbook and trying to take the optimistic view
We can be thankful she and my grandpa are together again, pain-free in heaven
We are about to enjoy a meal at the legion, a place that meant so much to her
Her family is together on memorial day weekend when we traditionally had a reunion
Its just the way she would have wanted it
