A good Free Web Application should be created to help people write funeral speeches, I could not find one, so below is the speech I wrote and delivered at my Dad's Funeral:
Dad, we saw you getting tired and a cure
was not to be.
So, God put his arms around you and
whispered “come to me.”
We loved you immensely, but could no
longer make you stay.
With tear filled eyes, we watched you
pass away.
A humble heart stopped beating and
ceased to exist.
You were one of the greatest and will be
cheerfully missed.
Your diligent and hardworking hands have
been eternally laid to rest.
God broke our hearts, to prove he only
takes the best.
Thank you all for taking time out of
your busy lives to come here today and pay final respects to my father. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather,
uncle; a hard worker and a true friend to us all. In a church full of so many great men, he was
one of the greatest. Ben lived life with
an unmatched zest for happiness. His
journey through the realm of mortality began in Cork, Ireland with his birth in
December of 1948. Ben lived in Ireland
for a couple of years before his parents relocated their budding family to
Rhode Island. He grew up with a family
consisting of his father, mother, two brothers and three sisters. Ben played numerous sports as a child and he
exceled in baseball and golf.
During the
Vietnam conflict, Ben enlisted in the United States Army and completed two
tours of duty. At this point in his life,
Ben was not yet an American citizen, but he defended America’s freedoms as an
Irish national citizen. After fighting
in Vietnam, he separated from the Army and pursued a career in the construction
industry of Rhode Island. During this
time, Ben worked as an electrician and also as a mason. Although he exceled as a construction worker,
he truly missed the feeling of being a soldier in the United States Military. Ben as you all know also had an immense sense
of duty and at this time he was not complete with his service to America. So Ben reenlisted in the Army, was retrained
as a ground pounding 11 Bravo and was given orders to report to Fort Riley,
Kansas.
It was because of golf, one of
his passions in life, that he came to meet Jill at the Fort Riley Golf
Course. A petit, intelligent, fireball
from Quincy Massachusetts, Jill became the love of his life and mother of his
children. They were married and given
orders to relocate to Germany. “Ich
komme aus Weisbauden” I come from Weisbauden.
In 1977 I was born in Weisbauden Germany and Ben and Jill began their new
adventure of parenthood. We left Germany
and moved to Fort Knox, Kentucky. The family
was blessed with the birth of a daughter, Kellie. From there we moved again and this time the
Army Post was Fort Benning, Georgia.
While they were stationed at Fort Benning Ben and Jill had their last
daughter and child, Kerrie. While we
lived at Fort Benning, Ben began his true calling in life. He became a mentor.
He wore a round brown, Ben was a drill
sergeant and he began molding young men into the future defenders and leaders
of our great country. Whenever he
brought up Fort Benning, Ben always spoke about the fact- he was stationed there
while Tank and The Green Berets were filmed.
The Green Berets starred Ben’s favorite actor of all time- The Duke,
John Wayne. Once again orders were
received and the family was again relocated to Germany. This time we were sent to Illeshiem, Germany.
This time spent in Germany, is filled
with some of my fondest childhood memories.
Almost every weekend we went on Volksmarches or hikes if you will. We would travel as a family, to a different
German town and walk 10 kilometers, during the walk you had a card which was
stamped at check points and at the end we received a beer mug, plate, medal, or
some other commemorative item naming the town and year of the hike. We also had a lot of enjoyable times going to
see castles, eating at German restaurants, and going to German carnivals. At this time in his life, my dad was my
baseball and basketball coach for organized teams on post. We left Germany when my Dad received his
final duty station orders.
Those orders
were back to where it all started, Fort Riley Kansas. Then in 1990 we had the scariest event of our
lives up to that point occur. Dad along
with many other brave soldiers received orders to go to war during Operation
Desert Storm. He gave me a hug and told
me I was the man of the family and to take care of mom and the girls. I cried as the front door of the house
closed, not knowing if I would ever see my dad again. A year later we met him at a hanger on
Marshall Air Field, it was one of the happiest days of our lives, he made it
home safe. After the war, Ben retired
as a First Sgt. In the Army First Sgts
are all called “Top” To us he was always our Top Dad. Shortly after coming home from Desert Storm,
Ben began a new phase of his life.
He
became a civilian and the only trades he had, outside of being a solider were
construction related. So like many
others in the construction industry already knew, Ben learned you have to go on
the road, to follow the work, to provide for your family. Sometimes Ben would be home on weekends and sometimes
not home at all for weeks at a time. Ben
sacrificed his whole life to provide for his family. Ben was a selfless man, I can really only
think of three things he ever bought for himself. Those few things were two sets of golf clubs spaced
out over 20 years and a big screen television.
Everything else he earned went to the family. After several years of Ben working on the
road, it was time for me to leave the home I grew up in. I joined the Air Force and left Dad, Mom,
Kellie, and Kerrie behind. They were
gone from my daily life but not forgotten.
Graduation from basic training was one
the proudest moments of my life. My
parents and sisters drove down to San Antonio and attended my graduation. The pride was because while I was standing at
attention, during the star spangled banner, I looked into the grandstand and
saw my father, with longer hair and few more years on him, not saluting the
flag like the soldier I had known for so many years, but rather I saw a gentler
man with his hand on his heart. I was
proud for the person he was and the soldier he had been. I had a tear roll down my check, while
thinking to myself, that great man is my father and I am following in his
footsteps.
After about two years in the Air Force,
I began to realize the values and ideals my father instilled in me as a child
were real. I was at point where I was
excelling in my Air Force career and this was a testament to the love and
direction both my parents provided to me growing up.
This is the time in my life where Benny
became my friend and while he will always be my father and I will always be his
son, this was the beginning of a bond and friendship I will cherish for the
rest of my days. Over the years, there
were marriages and grandchildren born and our little family grew into a bigger
happier family.
In 2007 I began working with Ben at MW
Builders. We had the pleasure of working
on several projects together. I was now
a father to three children of my own, it was remarkable to be able to work and
share this time of my life with this great man and friend. As you all know, over the last several years
Ben’s health began to fade and this past year he was approved to receive a new
heart. Ben received his heart and for
reasons unknown to the Doctors, his lungs quit working. Last Tuesday we made the toughest decision of
our lives and had to let Ben go home to the Lord. From today forward- let us not mourn Ben, but
rather let us all celebrate his life and carry his memory into the future. I will now leave him and you with a reading
of the Irish Blessing:
May the road rise up to
meet you
May the wind be ever at your back
May the sun shine warm upon your face
And the rain fall softly on your fields
And until we meet again, May God hold
you in the hollow of his hand
