Funeral

So yesterday was my grandpa's funeral. I've been kind of busy these last few days. Obviously I am trying to spend as much time with my family as possible but I did want to make a post about my gramps funeral. So here are some pictures and my mom's Eulogy for my gramps. Warning: Tearjerker.

Sad girl Mourning in her funeral garb. :( Eventually I threw on a black cardigan over it.

Dress: Target - $20
Belt: Chinese Laundry via TJ Maxx - $12
Tights: (They are fishnet w/polka dots) Target - $4 on clearance
Shoes: JC Penny's - $30
Necklace: Urban Outfitters - $10 on clearance
Sugar Skull Bracelet: Olvera Street shop - $2
Amber Ring: Family heirloom
Cardigan (kind of pictured below): Target - $17

Funeral Make up was kept very minimal but it's probably the most make up I've ever worn and all completely waterproof. I used Urban Decay's setting spray to keep it from smudging when I cried because I knew eventually I'd be a bawl baby. It helped sooo much. Seriously, go get some!

He is in the wooden box as well as the two small urns on the left. The heart is mine, the tall urn is my mom's until my grams dies. At which point we are supposed to combine my gramps with my grams so they are together for eternity. Romantic right? I cried when we found out that is what my gramps and grams wanted.

So at the last minute they sprang the whole "you have to do the bible readings" WHAT?! I was so nervous I was like a sinner in church - literally. Yet everyone said I did amazing and kept telling me how stunningly beautiful I was and how powerful of a speaker I was, how fluid my reading was, how I didn't mess up (which I did) it was just so weird. The lady who was helping with the funeral even asked me to be a lectern. Which for all my non-catholic peeps is the person who reads the versus of the bible in between certain parts of the mass. You can see the schedule - that's essentially all the parts of a catholic mass minus "reflections" which is my mom's Eulogy. I held it together until then - I lost it at that point. I can't watch my mom cry.

Below is my mom's Eulogy:

Thank you all for coming today to share with us the life of my Dad, Louis Petrulis.

There are many people that come and go within our lives. Few touch us in ways that change us forever; making us better for knowing them. Lou was one of those people; he made a difference in everyone’s life.

I first met Lou when my Mom brought him home to Iowa to meet the family! They were newly married (which I thought wow he is a fast worker!) I think they knew each other a month or so but he told me "when you know, you know." For them it was love at first sight! Anyway, Mom brought Lou to Iowa to meet my family along with my brothers Rick and Mark. I remember telling my brothers in passing that he looked like one of those little bald mafia guys in the movies, you know the ones from Chicago.

As we sat around the table visiting I asked, 

“Lou have you always lived your life in California?" 

He answered, “No, I was born and raised in Chicago.” I never laughed so hard in my life. He also thought it was pretty funny when I told him the story!

I always thought he looked like Mickey Rooney, as did someone at a restaurant we once went to. This guy come up and asked him for his autograph saying, 

”Mr. Rooney could I please have your autograph?”  Lou didn’t blink and signed his paper and giggled. After the guy looked at his paper and walked away I asked him what he wrote on it. 

He said "I wrote 'Louis Paul Petrulis!'”

When I came to California I brought my little dog, Gizmo with me. One look at Pop and it was love at first sight. He use to call her his pooper. Gizzy would come over in the morning on my way to work and I would pick her up on my way home. One night Lou finally said “you can leave her here overnight!” That was it, whether Mom liked it or not she got a new dog. Gizzy stayed at Lou’s side night and day, he would always have one hand petting her, even in his sleep. I am sure he talked to her about taking care of Mom after he’s gone. He didn’t want anyone to be alone.

Although Lou had no children of his own, he was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather.  He loved us unconditionally and without question just because we were his wife’s children. He shared his heart and soul with all of us and I am so honored to call him my Dad. He loved his nephews as his own, when they lost their parents before him. He loved to share Holidays and the annual 4^th of July party at Ken and Dales’. He was always excited and happy when someone visited him at home when he could no longer go out of the house. If you needed something all you had to do was ask, if he had it he would share with you. He loved to feed people; whenever you came to visit he was always trying to feed you, offer you a drink, made sure you were comfortable and having a great time.  

Lou lived his life with dignity, trust and love. He was a very proud man, faithful to no end. He also had an old school philosophy. He was married at the age of 19 to Lucille, and for 59 years took care of her until she died after a long period with  Alzheimer’s disease. In his early days Lou loved to play golf and square dance after his long days delivering mail for the United States Postal Service. He delivered the mail for 35 years before retiring. 

Lou was filled with passion for the Catholic Religion, and it was his belief system that sustained him throughout his life and especially in his death.  I looked upon him as my hero, I only wish that I could be as kind and forgiving and peaceful as he was. He was so courageous, when he lost the use of his legs, and also at the end of his life never, complaining always saying he had nothing to complain about, with a smile on his face.  Lou’s faith in God sustained him daily; and followed his faith completely. He would say his rosary daily and enjoyed Sunday mass here @ OLPH until he was unable to leave the house. When that happened he continued to pray and say the rosary watching Sister Angelica on TV and then Sunday mass. Mom is a Eucharistic minister and brought him communion at home weekly. He was very grateful to her for that. I have no doubt in my mind he will ascend into Heaven at the front of the line, in V.I.P. status.Thank you. 

It was so hard not to cry or edit my mom's Eulogy as she was giving it but we were all bawling so hard that none of us gave one shit about grammar. The priest loved my grandpa and was so happy to have been able to preside over his funeral. This was all my gramps wanted and like my mom said he loved God and always tried to get me to go to church and he definitely was first class VIP to Heaven.

Tomorrow we put his ashes into his crypt before dropping me off at the airport. I'm not even bothering with make up because I'm just going to cry it off with all these god damn goodbyes.