'Till we meet again

My Grandpa Smith's funeral was held in Alpine, Utah, last Saturday. The obituary may be found here. It's difficult to pay tribute to such a beautiful life in a matter of mere hours, but it was a beautiful service. I somehow made it through playing the piano for the opening hymn, which was special for me since my love of the piano came from Grandpa. My composure left immediately afterward, though, and I went through many more tissues than Grandpa probably would have wanted. He liked to see us smile, you know.

There were halfhearted smiles throughout the day, of course, but a real one finally came at the end of the afternoon. I knelt down next to the casket to say my final goodbye, and Jake leaned forward and gave Grandpa a kiss. How could I not smile at that? Grandpa loved Jakey -- he called him his "little son" -- and Jake loved him back. It means so much to me that my son got to know my Grandpa, if only for this short time. I think Grandpa will be looking out for Jake for much longer.

I had the neat experience last week of putting together a slideshow of my Grandpa's life for the funeral. It took many hours but I was grateful for each one. I felt like I came to know and love and appreciate my Grandpa even more as I pored over pictures of his life before I was even born. He was so handsome!

And he and my Grandma were the cutest newlyweds ever. It was fun seeing pictures of their new, young love and comparing it to the sweet, enduring love they share now.

The slideshow was on display at the viewing along with pictures of Grandpa and pictures he painted. Along with being an incredibly gifted musician, he was a talented artist who won numerous awards for his work.

Grandpa Smith from Ashley D on Vimeo.

The memorial was held at a chapel and then the family drove to the Alpine Cemetery for the graveside service. Grandpa served in the Korean War, so the American Legion performed military honors at his funeral. My sister April is an officer in the Army Reserves and was the one who presented the flag to my Grandma. It was such a sweet, touching moment and I know that it meant a lot to both of my grandparents. After the prayer was given, my family stood at the casket and sang "God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again." Then, reluctantly, we said our final goodbyes to a man so dearly loved.

Until we meet again, Grandpa. We love you so much! Thank you for being ours.