Sunday, July 10, 2011

praise to the man

My grandpa (Hyrum Smith Shumway) passed away earlier this year due to failing health.  He was a great man and will forever remain one of my heros.  His absence has been felt by all who knew him, but we know he is in a better place now, and his suffering is over.  He overcame much adversity in life, as he was blinded and seriously injured in WWII.  He created an unparalleled legacy and achieved more in life than most of us ever dare dream even without half of the disadvantages he faced.  His funeral ended up being more of a celebration of his life and turned out to be a wonderful family reunion. 

Here we are at little america taking a break from the road.





My grandpa received full military honors at his funeral.




Even after living in a mortuary for over two years and attending many funerals, I had never seen anyone do what we did at my grandpa's funeral.  After the military honors were done, words were shared, and the grave was dedicated, my aunts bought markers so we could all write a little message to grandpa on his casket.  It was probably one of the most touching experiences of my life - watching as everyone took their chance to write something special then go back around to read what had been written by the rest. 














Somehow, my cousin Noah convinced me to let him bic my head.  I'm pretty much bald anyway, so he didn't really have to prod much.  We had fun, and to be honest, I would probably let him do it again. 






Choco tacos were the cherry on top or icing on the cake if you will:o)


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