Funeral Time

One of my Grandpa's last requests was that his funeral be held on a Saturday so that no one would have to miss work or go out of their way to get to the funeral...man always thinking of others! Because of this the funeral was a week after he passed away. I spent a lot of time the week in between at my Grandma's with my mom helping get stuff together for the funeral. At the viewing they had a table of pictures and mementos all laid out to pay tribute to my Grandpa. My Mom and I put together this big poster board that showed pictures of my Grandpa with each of his kids.On Friday night we went over to Pleasant Grove to attend the viewing. I have a hard time at viewings because I like to remember them how I saw them last and it just makes it seem all too real. I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet...Saturday morning my in-laws watched the girls so Trent and I could attend the services without them. The talks were wonderful. The tribute was amazing. It was a good way to celebrate the life of my Grandpa. As the funeral procession passed by my Grandparent's house on the way to the cemetery you could see the whole street lined with American Flags. Truly a sight that would take your breath away. The flag pole in my Grandparents yard had the flag at half mast as well. It's such a privilege to know such an honorary patriotic man.The talks and words shared about my Grandpa were amazing. He lived such a full life and I only hope that 60 years from now I can look back on my life and be happy that I accomplished even a small portion of what he did!My brothers caught two amazing videos of the service. Since my Grandfather served in the Navy during World War II he was given a proper military burial. He was stationed on the USS Wasp aircraft carrier and was a fighter pilot aboard the Corsair F4U-4. My Uncles made arrangements for a military service complete with complete uniform Naval Officers, a 21 gun salute, and a flyover. In the video below you can see the flag ceremony and the flyover (at about 1:15). Such a cool experience. And its hard to tell in the video but the plane was so close to the ground and after it passed over the cemetery it went straight up in the air.


This video is the folding of the flag and it being presented to my Grandma.



Military funeral services are something else. So amazing. After the graveside service we headed back to the church for some lunch and some mingling. That poor ward had to get food ready for 9 kids (plus their spouses) 38 grandchildren (and their spouses), and over 70 great grand kids. Not to mention all the close family friends that stayed after wards!Tiffany brought the girls over to the church so they could hang out with the family for the rest of the day.It was a wonderful day and yet extremely sad at the same time. Grandpa you will always be remember and never forgotten. God be with you until we meet again...