Cory's speech for the funeral

I would like to thank everyone for joining us today in celebrating the life of my mom’s husband and our dad.  I am not totally in shock by the amount of people here today because I understand how many people’s lives he touched and made a difference in.  And just because you did not know him you knew him through his wife, children or siblings, and you are here to celebrate what he meant to us. Starting tomorrow we will start living his legacy of what he meant to this world.  So all the sorrow and pain may not be here today or tomorrow this will start in a few weeks, a few months or even a few years.  That is when we will need your to support and help with growing his legacy.  One of my fondest memories of my Dad and one that made me know he really did care was one afternoon I was helping change the tire on our old station wagon.  And of course he let me help as it was easier then getting in the way.  In the process of changing the tire the jack slipped out and my hand was caught between the wheel well and tire.  Neighbors say they heard me scream inside there house with the doors closed for a block away.  After Mom and I got home from the hospital, Dad was sitting at the table crying, I went up to him and showed him that nothing was broken or severed and it would be ok.  The best thing to come out of that incident some 30 + years ago was a little scar on my finger, and whenever I looked down at the scar finger I always think of that moment at the table and the ability of me to comfort him at such a young age.  Some other fond memories with my Dad include hunting and fishing with my Uncle Jimmy and his son’s Greg and Glen.  Fishing and Camping with Bonnie and Bill Coleman, Jackie and Rick Riggert and Duffy and Lorraine ?.  Dad and Bonnie use to get really mad at me when I would destroy there entire pack of cigarettes by stuffing each one with fireworks that exploded when they lit them. And of course all the KC stuff that we did together.  Including; playing pinochle on most weekday nights as well as Saturday afternoons with all the guys including my late Uncle Greg, Jack Munce and many more at the KC hall.  Handing out the tootsie rolls and building and riding on the float during the summer parade in town.  

To help me put some of the events going on in my life into perspective, I would like to share a portion of an email that I received from Father Michael Becker earlier this week which really has meant a lot to me especially in the healing process of dealing with death, it said; I once spoke to a grandfather about his kids and asked, him, “what would you hope or ask for from your children and/or grandchildren?”  he said, “I wouldn’t want anything from them, except that they be the best person that they can be,” which meant that they be moral, people of faith and love.  That statement has meant so much to me as I have read something similar.  I am reading a book called “Rediscover Catholicism” by Matthew Kelly.  I have learned so much from this book and one statement that is repeated numerous times through out the book and resounds in me is “to be the best version of myself”.  So as I stand here before you I am trying to be the best version of myself by doing what I know make’s my Dad the proudest Dad in all of heaven. 

I read the book "Heaven is for Real" last week the entire book amazed me, one point I would like to make from the book is when his Dad was talking with Colton, he asked him how long he was in heaven, he said 3 minutes.  So in 3 minutes Colton accomplished a couple weeks worth of work.  This made me start thinking about our adoption process.  I feel Dad got quite involved in this process when he got to heaven Sunday evening.  He is looking to pay me back for all the headaches that I gave him through those teenage years, just kidding Dad.  He is working very hard with God in finding that perfect match for our family.  And I trust whatever decision he makes.

One last thought I would like to leave you with comes from our children, we told Vivian and Alaina Sunday evening that grandpa is now in heaven.  And Alaina looked up to us and said, “don’t worry daddy everything will be ok.”  This reminds me of Mathew 18 2-4 “and He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent and become like little children, you can never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever will humble himself therefore and become like this little child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”  After the past few months spent with my Dad I know in my heart that he was that little child standing in the presence of God and is now in his final resting place in heaven looking down and making sure that everything will be ok.

Thank you.