Today we met with the funeral home and made the arrangements for Dad. After the sticker shock of spending A LOT of money for the funeral, I recommend that everyone tries to find some deals now on these kinds of things. However, if you have to face something like this, I strongly recommend taking Kirk along to do your negotiations! :)
After the funeral home, Grandma Rene, Grandma Betty, Mom, and all the kids and spouses (except Spring whom we missed) went to lunch. We talked about how surreal this still is and we keep waiting for Dad to come in at any minute. We love him so much!!
We also talked about how peaceful yesterday was. We realized that we all had the same question – why did we all gather in Dad’s room shortly before he passed?? All of us had been in and out of his room all day, but for some reason we all gathered in the room about 20 minutes before he quietly left us – another blessing for our great family. I failed to mention one very tender moment. Before they took Dad’s body away, several people went over to Dad to say goodbye. When it was Grandma Betty’s turn, she walked over to him, held his hand, kissed him on the forehead, and said, “I am so proud to be your mother.” I realized how strong she was being through this difficult time. Both Grandma Betty and Mom have shown us how their fervent testimony of what is to come gives them strength to endure one of the hardest challenges they will ever face.
The funeral is set for Thursday with viewings on Wednesday night and Thursday before the funeral. We look forward to seeing you there so we can have one more celebration of this great man's life!
We want to keep this blog going for a little longer because we think people have more they want to write about Dad. Your stories give us strength, and, while we knew Dad was amazing, your stories have taught us that he was a much greater man than we ever realized!
Please keep your stories coming!
honestly Teague...i think that you should keep this blog going for a long while. Gary's miracles don't end with his death. They are still here in his children and grandchildren and all who knew or where touched by his life....
ReplyDeleteI agree with Erin - I can't tell you how much comfort, peace and strength has come to us from reading daily about your family and the wonderful people that you are. We're grateful to know you - I count knowing you as one of my greatest blessings. We love you all. Raynee, we will always be there for you. The obituary is a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man - a great father, husband, son, friend, brother and grandpa....... May the Lord continue to bless all of you - love Gayle and Fred
ReplyDeleteI agree, too. Carson and Keeghan sat down and just cried on Sunday when we told them. Aunt Raynee and Uncle Gary mean the world to us. We are so thankful for so many wonderful memories... We are thankful for all of you. Thank you for letting us feel a part of this wonderful life - something for us to work hard for.
ReplyDeleteI love my cousins and my Aunt ... We all love you. I wish we could take the pain away...
Meghan & Chris and the Boise Crew