I was fortunate to have grown up with my Papa Mac being a big part of my life. He passed away one week ago at the ripe old age of 90. He lived a full life. I’m so glad that he got to meet all three his great granddaughters on several occasions and glad we were able to capture these precious moments.
Papa Mac with Emerson when she was 8 weeks old.
Papa Mac with Avery when she was 7 months old.
Papa Mac with Harper when she was 9 weeks old.
I also spoke at his funeral yesterday….here is a copy of my eulogy.
Here I am questioning myself….why am I not more upset about your death….I’m sad your gone but I don’t have this sick feeling in my stomach about it….and I know the reason….It’s because you lived…you lived a full life that was rich in quantity (you were 90 years old) and quality! You were a simple man; your greatest pleasure in life was your family. In recent years as you became less mobile, your face would just beam with joy with each family visit.
Your family was your pride and joy…..a loving wife of 65 years, 2 sons, 2 daughter in laws, 3 granddaughters, 1 grandson, plus a bonus grandson by marriage, and 3 great granddaughters who loved talking about Papa Mac. I’m so fortunate that you were able to meet them and they were able to meet and know you. You were proud of who you were and your roots. You were proud of your parents and your siblings and when you told stories of your youth your face would light up; you remembered the stories like they were just yesterday.
As my Grandpa, there were two recurring stories that you loved to tell me….and each time you told it, it was like you had never told it before….I’m not sure if you didn’t realize you had told it before or you truly just loved the story that much…I tend to think it was the latter….anyway, the first was with regards to my birth…..35 years ago!…you would always tell the story of hopping on a plane right away upon my birth to meet your first grandchild…and then how you were able to identify me right away in the nursery with my full head of black hair. Then there was the story of how I would run down the hall at the Rotunda (the condominium I lived in until I was five) every time you came to visit.
When I was a kid, you would come visit me and Lauren in Virginia a few times a year. You would drive down in your Caddy and stay for a few days….although by the size of Grandma’s valise, one would have thought you would have been staying all month. And a special gift for me and Lauren, often clothing, would accompany you.
For many of my childhood and my teenage years we would spend Thanksgivings together…you, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Russell, Mary, me and Lauren, and a few years Michael and Caroline before I went off to College. On years that were seasonably warm, we would hang out outside in your “yard” as we waited meal time. In between visits we would speak on the phone…for many years it was weekly and while in recent years the frequency has been far less, one thing still remained the same…each and every call would end with the both of us saying, I love you. I will always know how much he loved me…and not only me, but also how much he loved his entire family.
Papa Mac was a real Jew…he loved to eat (incase you couldn’t tell from his belly)….he loved Italian Food and Grandma’s famous cooking….although he didn’t like cheese, something I’ll never understand….I have vivid memories of some of the edible goodies he and Grandma would bring with them on their Virginia visits…such as the famous Rainbow cookies and a good ‘ol Entammen’s Black-out cake.
Softball was my passion growing up and Papa Mac was one of my biggest fans. He even played on his own softball team in Concordia!
Papa Mac’s long term memory was insane….he even had a great memory and liked to tell stories of his earlier years and of his parents and 5 siblings. He was a sports enthusiast and would always love to talk about sports….especially those Terrapins. He was funny too…although I think sometimes it was truly unintentional…. In the hosptial 10 years ago, he would flirt with some of the younger nurses. One of the ladies’ names was Roma, and I remember Papa Mac telling her she was his favorite tomato!
It was over 10 years ago when my Papa first met Justin, my husband. I don’t know why but a lot of people get the name Justin confused with Jason….Papa Mac was no exception. Sometimes he would call Justin Justin, other times Jason….sometimes he was quite aware that he would confuse the two…other times not as much…he liked Justin….he would often ask how his job at the bank was…often times I would humor him…but Papa I’m here to tell you one final time, Justin doesn’t work at a bank:). But the important thing was that he liked Justin and considered him his second grandson.
While I know that this short eulogy in no way captures everything about you that was so great, I do know that you were special to each and every one of us who are here today in different ways. You were also quite special to many other family and friends who either couldn’t be with us today or departed before you. And while you were so special to all us in different ways, I can say with certainty one common thing we all share is that we are going to miss you.
RIP Papa Mac