Hi! I'm Katie! One of Buddy's 12 grandchildren! A couple of years ago buddy asked me to do his urology. I cracked up laughing and said we will leave that to your urologist, Bud! But in all seriousness of course he meant his eulogy. Am I the best person to give this speech? Probably not, but to buddy I was the best. His daughters and grandchildren were the best to him. For his daughters, he was the strong foundation for the success of their life. My mom, Jackie, is a nurse and to Buddy – she was the best doctor of any one in any hospital. He could have all the best doctors in the world lined up in front of him but only what my mom said mattered. When Aunt Anna was six years old, the teacher asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up. She stood up and said, “When I grow up I want to be a mother and have a hundred kids.” For those of you that know Anna, she has done exactly that. Buddy took pride in the love and compassion that she shows to these little tiny souls, for he loved children just the same! Aunt Georgia has always been quite the businesswoman, and Buddy always thought that she was CEO of every company she worked for. She could have been a customer service rep and he thought she ran the entire company. That is the pedestal that he held us all up on.
His grandchildren were made of the best fisherman, the best preacher, the best teachers, the best baseball players, the best accountant, the best students, the best dancers, and the best hockey players. To him we were the best. To have as many grandchildren as he did, he made us each feel like we were the apple of his eye. We were his soul and the reason his heart beat. In one of grandma’s recent emails to “the greatest grands in the world,” she said, “I love you to pieces and when buddy is able to hear of it, he will love you more if that is even possible.” No one loved their grandchildren as much as he did. I’m pretty sure none of us have had a bigger cheerleader than Buddy. Grandma and he were always an active pair, and would come to our sporting events, our plays, our dance recitals, and even travel to visit us in college. He thought he was the lucky one, but we all know we were. He and grandma instilled faith, love, and compassion in their children who ultimately instilled it in us…what a great legacy he leaves behind.
He was such a manly man, but definitely a charmer. He was blessed with three daughters, but still remained involved in all things manly!! His dreams of a son were made possible when his son in laws were welcomed into his life. He was as much of a father to them as he was to his own. He loved to build things, and “fix things”…and could usually rig up anything to work, and rig is probably the right word. With knots and bungee cords he thought he could build or fix anything. Just saying that bungee cords were his tool of choice is an understatment!! Grandma even joked and said she was going to tie down the casket with bungee cords!!
We have THE best grandparents that anyone could ask for...they have always supported us in anything and everything we did. Of course unbeknownst to gma, buddy would support our wallets too! He called it sneak money! He would slip us money in a hand shake! i know from stories when my mom and aunts were in college, they would get an allowance deposited into their account. But Buddy would always send extra in the mail and the girls would call home thanking him so much!! It was grandma who had deposited their big allowance, but Buddy got the glory for that sneak money! Poor Grandma!! If he knew I was giving away his secrets right now he would probably give me a buddy face! But buddy's main concern in life was to make sure that his grandchildren were taken of. He wanted to live long enough to see that his grandchildren would be okay on their own. And he did just that. He gave us all the tools in life to succeed. His legacy is amazing, and we will all be better people because of him!
Some of our best childhood memories was time spent at the bay. The bay was magical to us and many incredible memories were made. This past Christmas we all sat around and reminisced about those special times where so many of our fondest memories were made. Well, except for Jeff maybe...he was always trying to keep up with the big boys and breaking bones in the process! We used to go down there (all 19 of us) and spend holidays or vacations during the summer... Buddy even built a little house out back at the bay that had 2 bedrooms and bathroom so that we would all be able to stay there together. I’m pretty sure that was buddy's heaven on earth, to have his whole family together in a place he loved. As great as he loved his Earthly life, I can’t even imagine how great Heaven must be for him.
Growing up, I never realized how special our family was. My aunts and uncles were like extra moms and dads, and my cousins, just more siblings. What a great joy to grow up alongside each other. Even now, I talk to my cousins wives as if they are my very own sister in laws. Our family is growing, and just keeps getting better. Over the past couple years, Buddy gained 5 new grandchildren through marriage, and 2 great grands. The more the merrier to Buddy. We all welcomed the first baby, Ash, into our family by Doug and Jessica, and Buddy said there has never been a prettier baby come through the Staley’s. That is just a small testament of how everything we created, or had a hand in was the very BEST to him. How lucky are we to have such a tightly knitted family? The knot in the middle is buddy and grandma, holding together the prettiest bow that you ever did see. At the center of our family was a man of Christ whom loved his family more than life itself.
Even in the past couple weeks when we were sad, we all found joy in each other and continued to make special memories with buddy. These memories were a bit different then the ones of him guiding us on the honda, or baiting our fishing pole. We were now his guide, giving back the love he has always given us. I think if u ask any of us, it has not been easy, but has been an incredible honor. Sure we will miss buddy, every single day...but we will not stop living. In buddy's honor we will live each day that much more because we never knew a man who loved to live more than Buddy did.
I believe that though his last days pained us...he was teaching us that family is forever invaluable. Our family, not surprisingly, rose to the occasion and we were able to give him around the clock care. We had about 6 nurses that wanted to be adopted into our family. Buddy was such a joyous, vibrant and outgoing soul. He made friends wherever he went and made everyone feel so special. He always found the good in everyone. Even in the hospital, he would praise the nurses and doctors for their knowledge and care. Despite being sick, he could still put a smile on our face and the nurses too!! He was a ladies man for sure.
An old fashioned gentlemen no doubt. But the one and only for him was grandma! His sun rose and sat on her and even though they would have hilarious arguments mainly because they couldn’t hear each other, he would always says, “She is the best thing that has ever happened to me and we have so much fun.” He and grandma have shown us what real love is, for this June they would have been married 60 years. I have seen the most beautiful love story that was ever written play out in the beautiful life of grandma and Buddy. What an incredible honor to be the granddaughter of such a wonderful man. He was so selfless, and always thought of others. He would take anyone in, without a second thought. During the winter he would pray at dinner time, Lord if there is someone out there cold tonight, just send them to us.
In the hospital all he wanted to do was go home. He tried to convince each of us to just get our cars, asking where we parked, he finagled many different ways to get his keys, and get his pants so he could get out of there!! We each have hilarious stories and memories even in some of the darkest days. He wanted nothing more than to go home. And by the way of the Light and Truth, we find joy in knowing that he did finally make it home!
He was a great provider, husband, father, and grandfather. A friend, a pal, and no doubt, the best buddy that we will ever have.
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