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.