Funerals are hard. Nobody really wants to go to them, but they are there to celebrate the lives of amazing people. My brother & I decided that we would say goodbye to Dad the same way we said goodbye to Mom 2 months earlier. . . . with a great big party he would have loved.
Tuesday, June 10th we celebrated my dad's amazing life with close family & friends. SO MANY PEOPLE came to say their goodbyes. My dad was an asset to the Geneva Rock Company where he had worked for over 40 years. They loved him dearly both as an employee, but also as a friend, mentor, & boss. I cried when I walked outside of the church & saw the line up of Geneva Rock trucks in the parking lot almost as if they were giving him a final salute saying "Thanks Clyde, you were the best we had!" So many people from his work came to give condolences & to say goodbye. I didn't know very many of them, but they came & that meant a lot.
We had a small viewing before the funeral services & several people from the ward I grew up in came to say goodbye to their bishop & friend. Several family members & friends from my childhood were also there. My dad's whole family came to say their goodbyes as well. It was hard seeing his siblings having such a hard time losing their brother. He is the first sibling of his family to pass away so it was hard on everyone.
We had pictures of my dad set up next to the casket & we enjoyed seeing all the people who came to pay their respects.
All the grandkids sat on the front row together. I love how much they love each other.
When we closed the casket, we made our way to the chapel where we had the funeral service.
I gave the life tribute this time around & the kids sang again for their grandpa.
My dad's sister, Sharon spoke & told stories about dad from each of his 7 siblings. Every story had us laughing & crying at the same time. I got to hear things about my dad that I never knew & it made me love him even more if that was even possible.
After the short funeral service, we gathered everyone outside while the pallbearers loaded up the casket for burial. Then we made our way to Spanish Fork Cemetery.
The gravesite service was lovely. Trek said the dedicatory prayer & we gathered as a family to say our final goodbyes.
Justin brought BYU balloons for the kids to release as we all sang the BYU cougars fight song.
It was beautiful to see that my dad & my mom would be laid side by side for eternity. Never apart ever again.
After the graveside service, we went back to CELEBRATE my dad's life with a party fit for a king.
We thought about all of his favorite things & included them in his luncheon. First off, we called up Glade's hot dogs (a little hole in the wall restaurant in Spanish Fork that my dad & his whole family grew up with). They agreed to use their food truck to come & feed everyone Glades Hot Dogs & Super Cheeseburgers.
When they pulled up into the parking lot, I couldn't help but smile. My dad would have loved this.
Inside the cultural hall, my dad's sisters decorated everything in BYU Cougar colors - blue, white, & silver. It looked SO GOOD.
On each of the tables we included things my dad loved like tennis balls, golf balls, baseballs, basically all the sports things.
The main dish was the Glade's hot dogs & cheeseburgers, then we had watermelon (his favorite fruit), chips, & his sister's famous Peanut Butter Bars for dessert.
Then as an extra special treat, we had my dad's brother Ryan make my dad's famous "Mormon Screwdrivers" (mocktails) to drink. Everything was perfect.
Everybody LOVED having the Glade's truck there. It was so much fun seeing everyone line up to grab some food, & it was delicious.
It was a hard day, but it was a good day. We sent dad off with a goodbye he would be proud of.
I love you Dad. I miss you every single day.
I'm so happy you & mom are together again.
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