Eulogy
for Grandpa Peach
George Joseph Peach. He was a son, a brother, a nephew, a
cousin, a friend, an uncle, a father, and a husband. To most of you here, he
was one of these things. But to seven very fortunate individuals he was
grandpa, or Paw Paw. And to my three very special children he was
great-grandpa. And oh what a great grandpa he was.
For most of my childhood, our family lived just three blocks
from our Grandpa and Grandma Peach. They were a huge part of our lives,
especially my grandpa- as he was retired and always available when we needed
him. They were at every recital, ball game, and school program. I can’t even
tell you how many times my grandpa brought me lunch money because I had
forgotten, or brought me up dinner to the school in between my practices. He
taxied me around, as well as my friends, and each time he’d pass his old house
on Lincoln he’d tell us all about it…again. Several times in college he would
drive me to and from Murray State when I wanted to come home on the weekends,
before I had a car on campus. He and my grandma also came for a few visits. All
of my friends always got a big kick out of my grandpa’s stories- stories that I
had of course heard several times. Stories that many of you have heard several
times.
Grandpa and Grandma came to visit us in Memphis several times
too. They came for, or shortly after, every birth of their great-grandchildren,
and for several of their birthday parties and other visits too. It was such a
blessing to see my grandpa interact with my kids. I consider myself so
fortunate to have had him in my life for 37 years, and I consider my kids
doubly fortunate to have spent several years with great grandpa Peach.
He was so proud of all his grandchildren and bragged on all of
us. My brothers, Jordan and Erik, could tell a similar story to mine of how
involved grandpa was in their lives. He was such a huge part of our lives and
had such a huge impact on all of us. My grandpa was a man that my brothers
looked up to and respected. He’s always been a man they could depend upon. He
was always available to help us, our mom, and anyone really. He was so very
loyal and dependable. He could sometimes be serious and a little gruff, but he
was usually smiling, telling jokes and stories, and being ornery. He had such a
great chuckle, and a sparkle in his eyes when he smiled.
When you’re a kid, it seems like your grandparents will live
forever. As you get older, you begin to realize that this isn’t the case. This
person that has been such a huge part of your life, that you can’t imagine ever
not being there, is one day gone. As much as you might think you are prepared,
you find that their death hits you hard.
Most of you know that my grandpa was a devout Catholic. He was
so proud of St. Clare, his priest, and this beautiful new sanctuary. He loved
all of the wood and beams in here. His faith had a huge impact on me. I went to
church with them often as a child and adolescent, and the Lord really used that
exposure to the Catholic faith as a seed that later in my life God grew into my
own faith and relationship with Christ. I’m so thankful for that.
My grandpa died on March 18th, so his last full day
on earth was St. Patrick’s Day- one of my favorite saints. My grandpa also died
during Lent, a very important season in the Catholic faith, as well as other
traditions.
During Lent we are to remember that we are dust and to dust we
shall return. In the book Circle of
Seasons the author states, “Lent is about the painful acknowledgement of
our mortality, the sense of sadness at the reality of having to let go of all
we hold dear, the proclamation of Jesus’ death on my behalf, and the hope of
the resurrection.” When I was a kid and teen Lent was just the countdown to
Easter, and Easter baskets, and Easter candy. And actually, I have so many
great memories of our family going to Easter mass with my grandparents and then
having lunch, hunting Easter eggs, and eating lots of sweets.
Now Lent and Easter carry a much deeper meaning for me. Again
from Circle of Seasons, we are told,
“Lent is a time to reckon with darkness and death. We do so with hope, because
this season of darkness ends in Easter, in resurrection, in new life. But we
can be raised to new life only if we have died to the old one. That is the
challenge- and the gift- of Lent.”
So even now as we grieve the death of my grandpa, we can have hope, because for those who trust Christ, death is not the end of the story. Death is the end of a chapter. My grandpa has now begun his next chapter, and we too can join him in that great never-ending story if we also trust Christ. The Author and Creator of that Story invites us all to join him, and I believe my grandpa would invite us as well.
