We gather here today in mourning and in tears
Just as tradition dictates we must
Saddened to have lost one we all held so dear
Into the hands of God, her soul we do trust
~
We grieve–as a way of dealing with our heartfelt loss
But wouldn’t celebration of an extraordinary life be best
To be honored and have loved is priceless at its cost
Yet our faith will most surely be put to the test
~
In the midst of our sorrow we must look for the good
At this life lived so full and so well
Surely she would want this, I believe that she would
As our angel in heaven tolls the bell
~
I’ve pondered these thoughts both long and hard
Feeling blessed for having known her all my years
While many have known her longer and held her in highest regard
Very few could be held as her peer
~
I think of the things that she saw while she lived
Horse and carriage and car shared the road
The tango took hold and its popularity thrived
Halley’s comet appeared with a tail that did glow
~
These are just a few of the things that took place
All within the year of her birth
The Boy Scouts established to this year can be traced
For however much or little its worth
~
A few years down the road and the world was at war
For the first, but unfortunately not the last
The Panama Canal finally opened its doors
With the indestructible Titanic going down fast
~
Prohibition arrives with all glasses going dry
Women finally won the right to vote
The Charleston becomes a hit why not give it a try
Babe Ruth hits the home run high note
~
Then marrying the gent with whom she’d share all her time
A tall and swarthy olive skinned man
Handsome, debonair and genuinely kind
A perfect compliment for this lady so grand
~
Not only did love grow, but the staircases climbed
The Empire State Building’s grandeur completed
Our National Anthem made official–so sublime
The Wizard of Oz premiered that’s now so oft repeated
~
Soon three children arrived who she cherished all of her days
No other event in her history could compare
By the grace of God all three of them are here with us today
To celebrate the life she was kind enough to share
~
Then the war to end all wars the second had begun
Separating this young mother from her true love
Left alone to raise her brood once two she now was one
With courage and a strength from up above
~
The smile of fate shone upon wife and mother oh so young
Bringing back the husband and father to his home
The rest of his life he spent working hard–unsung
Staying with her and raising their kids never again did he roam
~
Then the fifties roared in with Korea in conflict
McCarthy began his hunt and his war
The picture in color the television did inflict
Princess Elizabeth the Queen takes center floor
~
Walt Disney opens his land and his first jeweled crown
James Dean sadly passes away in a crash
Elvis’ gyrations bring Sullivan’s curtains tumbling down
While Castro dictates with his promises so brash
~
Then the first of her children has a child so dear
Most surely the apple of her eye
A lovely little girl like her mother its clear
No better could she have done had she tried
~
But no this was not to be last by any stretch
A boy this time was in the offing
The second of the grands her heart he did fetch
Topping this would be a feet ever so lofty
~
Then a iron strong wall dividing Berlin was built
JFK speaks of the “Man on the Moon”
A crisis in Cuba armed with missiles to the hilt
A President’s life taken way too soon
~
Amongst all of the chaos another grand is born
The first to her youngest and his wife
Coming about the time that the Beatles hit our shore
Giving joy to a sad and turbulent life
~
The U.S. sent its troops to a place called Vietnam
To fight in a most unpopular war
Then the fourth grand is born to Dad and Mom
In the year the first Super Bowl scores
~
In the following year a King left the room
And another Kennedy too
Armstrong became the first man on the moon
While the dream of Woodstock came true
~
Then in the year from Vietnam we came home
The final baby grand entered the world
A beautiful little girl to the family they had grown
Before her the red carpet unfurled
~
The stage has now been set for many more years
Her grands had babies of their own
The lights of her life that she held oh so dear
Guaranteed she would never be alone
~
How amazing it turned out that her line was not complete
Great grandchildren gave her great great grand children to hold
So few have been blessed and fewer still will repeat
This fairy tale that has seldom been told
~
We all have been rewarded to have had her for so long
In our hearts, our minds and our souls
Even with her passing this love will never be gone
We must hold her memory to fill in the holes
~
This dear friends and family is why I illustrate
With amazement in all she lived through
Yes I’m filled with sadness, but in joy celebrate
With envy at the wonders that she knew
~
I remember with great fondness her kind and gentle heart
Not one callous bone did she hold
Today is not an ending, but a new and hallowed start
To be traveled in death as her life had foretold
~
Her belief in God, no her true love of the Lord
I’m sure gave her great comfort in the end
So much can be learned, much more than we can afford
Her faith unwavering did not bend
~
Mom Mom Bea–this simple tribute is the least I can do
To selfishly comfort my sorrowed heart and mind
Sweet lady–I bid you farewell with the fondest adieu
One whose life with great love I’ve enshrined
~
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
~
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is the poem that I read at the funeral for my grandmother earlier this week. Some of you had asked if I would post the poem I read in the church and after giving it some thought and getting my parents blessing (I felt I should make sure they were not opposed to it) here it is. So many things happened in the world during her 103 years. I hope that you enjoy it.
Dom DiFrancesco 
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