A review of the week and preview of coming attractions

This is a few days overdue.

First, a very heartfelt and sincere thank you to those who expressed condolonces, offered prayers, and showed some type of sympathy at the death of my grandmother. They were all very much appreciated.

Grandma's funeral was a good celebration of her life. The visitation period was not very busy, as she had been out of the loop for the last few years while she battled with the Alzheimer's, so there was a chance to spend a bit more time with each visitor/caller than some other funerals that I have been to. It was nice to catch up with folks and relatives that I had not seen in quite a while. It seems like these are the only times that we get together, sadly.

For her funeral, Grandma would have been very pleased and honored that there were six priests present, especially one who was her grandson. I firmly believe that most of them would have still been there had I not been a priest, as priests always held a special place for her. I know that there were more who wanted to attend, but were unable to because of other commitments. Thanks to all my brother priests who offered prayers and Masses for her.

The other aspect that was nice, at least for me, was that this was not an automatic canonization funeral, either. It was certainly hope-filled, and the good things that Grandma did in this life were extolled, but there were also discussions about her struggles, her failings, and pleadings that her generosity outshine her human weaknesses. This is what funerals should be.

Fr. Pat's (pastor at my home parish) homily was really quite excellent. He focuses on a key word or two that embody who that person was. He nailed it with 'abundance.' My mother was always mad at the holidays when there would be one dessert per person, and Grandma would cook enough food for 50 people, instead of the 15 or so that would actually show up. Yes, abundant indeed.

Her abundance was not limited to the groaning of the dinner table at the holidays, either. She was very generous to a number of charities, especially the local chapter of St. Vincent dePaul. She was Grandpa's primary care giver as he died of cancer 9 years ago. She rarely met a stranger, and had a huge gathering of friends with whom she would converse often.

Yet, the lasting image I have of Grandma and Grandpa is them, sitting together on their back porch at Indian Lake, watching the water and boats go past, listening to Marty and Joe call the Red's games. For someone who missed the last few years because of her struggle with Alzheimer's, this is a tranquil and peaceful image that will be with me for quite the while. It is a memory of my youth, of the guidance and wisdom that they shared with us, and the joys of keeping a simple life in the midst of a chaotic world.

God Bless, Grandma, may the angels and saints lead you to your heavenly home.

Thoughts on Grandma

I was asked to share some thoughts with the pastor back home on grandma, thought I would post them here as well. It helps with the grieving process as well. But they might be a bit scattered, at best.
Grandma was a magnanimous woman. She was large in personality, large in generosity, large in spirit. She was very quick with a smile and laugh, even in her later days when most things passed her by. The pastor back home remarked that he got her to crack a smile and a laugh just a few short weeks ago.
Grandma certainly loved life, and her dinner table was always well stocked. Mom used to get mad at the holidays at the amount of food that was served, but dad just shrugged. (Mom has now turned into her mother-in-law, but I would never tell her that!) Also, to Grandma, ‘home cooking’ involved making scalloped potatoes from a box: “hey, I mixed it up!” I guess that constitutes home cooking. Also, Grandma wasn’t too keen on that whole ‘no meat on Friday’s’ thing, so chicken didn’t quite constitute meat. (She didn’t much care for feesh, as she said, but you already ‘knowed’ that, in her colloquialism.)
Her generosity was marked in many different ways. She supported several different charities, and supported the local St. Vincent de Paul Society. I think her and Grandpa were the co-presidents for quite the while. From the time I entered the seminary, she was very proud and looked forward to my ordination. (She didn’t quite make it, but over the last few years she recognized that I was the one that did religious type work. In fact, she purchased a white vestment for ordination, which I plan to wear for the funeral Mass. I figure that this is a good tribute and honor for her.)
Grandpa always seemed to me to be the more outgoing of the two, yet her dedication as she cared for him in his last days was very admirable. Her dedication and love allowed him to stay at home to his last days. Unfortunately, we could not provide the same for her. She lovingly cared for Grandpa as he slowly succumbed to cancer. As we’ve come to learn now, it was about this time that she began her downward spiral with Alzheimer’s.
I certainly will miss her. She was a very gregarious person, and her vitality, though diminished over the last years, still shone through. We spent many summers swimming between her place and ours on Indian Lake. She would pull us out of the lake, feed us if necessary, throw us back in the water to swim the four doors back to mom and dad’s. On the times we would walk down, you would hear Marty and Joe calling the Reds game as they sat together watching the water, maybe a fishing pole or two in the water. It was the simple life, and a life that was certainly enjoyed.
God rest, Grandma. We all love you, and will miss you. Pray for us, give us guidance and prepare us a place when we meet our reward.

Arrangements

Funeral arrangements are made for Grandma:

Visitation: Wednesday, Feb 6 from 4-8 PM at Bayley and Eley in Wapakoneta, OH, downtown chapel.

Mass of Christian Burial: Thursday, Feb 7 at 10:30 at Immaculate Conception Church in Botkins, OH. I am celebrating the Mass, the pastor is giving the homily and perhaps another priest doing the Rite of Committal.

It is finished

This morning, between 4 and 6 AM, Grandma went home to God, she is finally at rest from several years of battling Alzheimer's Disease.

Mom called just a bit ago to let me know. The nurse's checked on her at 4 and she was still breathing, but laboring to do so. They came in a little while later and there was silence, peace at last.

Mom and dad maintained a fairly constant vigil at her side over the last few days, saying rosaries, praying, whispering to her that it was ok to let go, go home, see Gene (her husband), Patty and Paulette (daughters). She was 79 years of age.

Please pray for her (Betty Schnippel) and our family, as these might be trying days, for completely unrelated issues.

Luckily, we planned out most of her funeral liturgy last month, put there are still many details to work out.