Funeral

Here are some shots from Grandpa Coopers funeral.  It was such a sad day, but also a great day to honor and remember how amazing our Grandpa's life was here on Earth.  Clinton, Cort, Jamie, Steph, and April spoke at his funeral.  Cort and Clinton shared the "Farmer" story which perfectly applied to Grandpa.  All the talks were wonderful. All the grand kids sang "A Child's Prayer" and I cried through the whole thing. I couldn't even sing any of it. Ty got up and shared a poem about grandpa and we all cried even more.

Shayne dedicated the grave and it was one of the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard. Grandpa served in the Navy on USS Washington, so they did a military tribute to him at the graveside.  It was neat to watch the way they presented the flag to Grandma. 

A few days before his viewing and funeral, I was looking for something special that represented my Grandpa.  I really wanted his old straw hat, but Grandma said he had just thrown it away. I found his old, dirty farming boots and a bottle of Dr. Pepper in the cupboard downstairs. 

Roger worked for the mortuary and he specifically asked if he could work for Grandpa's funeral. This meant a lot to me for him to care that much about me and my Grandpa.  He thought it would be special for us to have this old Hurst instead of the newer one.

Grandma, Mom, April and some of the great grand children waiting for the graveside procession to start.  Here us kids are standing in front of Grandpa's casket.  Oh, how we miss this wonderful man that was such a great example to each of us! Part of who we are today, is because of this wonderful angel that is now helping us from the other side.

It was so nice to have all my siblings and parents at the funeral.  It was an emotional time but it will be a time that will never be forgotten as we celebrated the life of our Grandpa. We cried together. We laughed together. We mourned together.  We smiled together and enjoyed our short time together.

It was also a time that strengthened our relationships with our cousins. We all have a special bond with each other.  We all carry that loving and kind attitude that Grandpa and Grandma always showed us.
 After the graveside services, we went back to the church to have lunch and watch a video that Jamie made about Grandpa.  It was a really special video, but very touching and emotional to watch.  I had to step out of the gym multiple times to recompose myself.  All in all, it was a wonderful day to celebrate with loved ones!