Here is the slideshow we showed at my Grandmother’s funeral. I am so grateful for all the hard work Joey did to make it perfect. Especially the nice surprise at the end.

Here is what I shared during the funeral service:

It’s hard to say goodbye but I am so glad for all the memories I have with my grandmother.I feel privileged to have been close to my Grandmother my entire life. She was a kind, loving and generous grandma. She taught me a lot.

She taught me to love Jesus. As a little girl I remember my sister and I spending the weekends with her and going to church. She taught us to give an offering, read our Bible and encouraged us to memorize Bible verses. She taught us to pray before meals, at bedtime and any time we needed help. I will never forget the times she yelled at or kicked Satan out of the room. Literally.

She taught me to be kind and think of others. If someone needed help and she saw them, she would help. When I was little I would be embarrassed when she would me make me help a perfect stranger. Today I am grateful for this and hope that I will teach my children the same. She always wanted me to set an example for my younger sisters. I guess that’s what comes with being the oldest but she never let me forget it.

She taught me manners. When she said “thank you” she liked to hear “you’re welcome”. If you didn’t say it, she would remind you. She also expected things to be done right – she didn’t allow shortcuts while completing a task. I did not enjoy helping her change the sheets on her bed. Everything had to be perfect – sheets needed to be flat, straight and tight. I was always relieved when my sister Christene helped her with that.

She taught me to cook and maybe even love food. She taught me how to make mince meat, rouladen, gravy, stuffing, shortbread, bread pudding and apple pie with the crust from scratch. I enjoyed cooking for her. She especially loved desserts. It was fun to watch her reaction when we placed a dessert in front of her. After eating dinner, even when she was full, if she did not see or know what dessert was, she would quickly ask “what’s for dessert?”

She taught me to ‘waste not, want not’. She was resourceful and organized. In her drawers she had things tied up with twist ties, rubber bands or string. She labeled things if they weren’t in their original container. She kept pieces of scrap paper instead of throwing them away and always found a use for something.

She taught me how to study and be a good student. She always tried to keep her mind sharp. She liked to read, do puzzles and play word games. I remember her helping me prepare to be in a spelling bee in elementary school. I spent days, maybe even weeks, under her instruction, writing words over and over and pacing back and forth in the hall while spelling the words out loud. I think she wanted me to be in it more than I did. I gave it a good try. I hope.

She knew how to make people laugh and it was fun to spend time with her. I will miss her sense of humor. One thing I will truly miss is her prayers. She prayed for my family daily. She prayed for things she knew were happing but she also prayed for the future. She would ask me “Did Joey get that raise yet? I’ve been praying that he will get one”. When she prayed, she trusted God to answer her prayers and she never ceased praying. She not only prayed for my family but for extended family, friends and perfect strangers. When she received the Prayer Watch newsletter from the church she would go down the list and start her prayers and write her cards. She was a true Prayer Warrior and blessed many people.

It was also important to her that everyone know the Lord as their savior. She prayed for many people to come to the Lord. She shared tracts and Bible verses with everyone. She also loved Billy Graham and his ministry. She used to tell people she wanted to fly to heaven with Billy Graham. So, when she was on her death bed we all kept checking the news about Billy Graham. As far as I know, he is still alive but I’m sure she’s waiting for him to come next.

I would like to thank all of you that blessed my grandmother. As much as she enjoyed sending cards, I think she enjoyed receiving them just as much. She also enjoyed visiting with you on the phone and in person. I am also grateful for my mom and sister Kathlene for all the care they provided her.

I am truly going to miss her but will not forget her!