On February 23, 2016 my sweet Grandfather passed away. He was 94 and only a few weeks shy of his 95th birthday. His funeral was held on March 5th and was really a special service. Considering the circumstances it was actually a pretty great day. We had 150 family members there, some of which I haven't seen in years and many traveled very far distances to be there.
The program was very spiritual and different from any other I have been to. My Grandpa was the choir director for The Sounds of Zion and they had all members who could attend come and sing at the funeral. Many of his 12 children were in this choir and got to participate as well. All of his great-grandchildren sang I am a Child of God and the program closed with the choir singing God Be With You Till We Meet Again. There wasn't a dry eye in the room.
The graveside service was remarkable. My grandfather served In WWII and received military honors. My uncle Paul served many years in the military as well and got to participate and returned the flag to the oldest son in the family, Jim. That was such an emotional moment for everyone and I was glad to capture it on camera.
My grandpa left behind a huge legacy with 12 children and countless grand children/ great-grandchildren. The thing that kept everyone together throughout this whole thing is knowing how happy James must have been to be reunited with his wife who passed away 15 years earlier. My grandpa wasn't one who could be alone. Following his wife's death he remarried 3 more times just have some companionship. For many years now he has been saying he is ready to move on and be with his wife. The sweetest moment of the whole day was at the luncheon when my Dad got up and made all 150 of us toast to his mom and dad, finally together again.
These pictures are a mixture of the ones I took and the ones my cousin Amber took. I love every one of them and am so thankful for the memory I will have of this day.
