My dear granddad

My granddad was someone who meant the world to me. He gave me tons of belly laughs throughout my time with him,  and will be greatly missed. 

He passed away on June 13, 2015, and on July 25, 2015 we held his memorial service. This is what I was able to say in order to honor him:

(Please excuse any grammar that does not apply to a crowd, as it was for a large group)

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Good morning! My name is Arielle and I'm the youngest granddaughter of Howard & Edith Parlette. Yes, Howard is my grandfather, however he's also been my second dad. I grew up living with my grandparents from the young age of 6, and have had a relationship with them that was one of a kind. We’ve had tough times: we argued, we had tears, they’ve taught me so much and I’ve learned a lot of life lessons from them. We also had many fun moments, but most of all we had a lot of laughter and love.

Let me set the stage for you, my grandparents were newly retired and truly enjoying themselves, doing things that normal newly retired people do.  Then all the sudden, they went backwards in time and began to help raise 3 little kids all over again, me being one of them. This definitely wasn't what they had anticipated with retirement, but I have to say I'm so thankful for those 15 years of watching them and learning from them, and as my grandma has reassured me that they were some of the best years.

My grandfather has taught me many life lessons, but these are some of them. I desire to have a long lasting marriage because of the dedication my grandparents have had to one another over 62 years of marriage. He also showed me what it should look like in a marriage to spend time together with God daily. I remember seeing my granddad turn off the tv, and let grandma know that it was their bible reading time. It was a beautiful site seeing a married couple doing this together. My granddad also gave me my first job; I would earn $1 by being the batgirl at his softball games. He never tolerated laziness, but pushed me to appreciate things and to be thankful for all that I had been given, and to work hard for the things that I wanted. He surely passed on a good appetite to me and the rest of our family as well. He used to pile plates almost 2 inches high with food, and we weren’t allowed to get up from the table until our plate was cleaned off. He never wanted to waste a bit of food, but he loved to cook, so there were never many leftovers. My granddad gave me a desire to always be punctual. I remember him saying how if you’re early, then you’re on time, but if you’re on time that you’re late. He was NEVER late to anything! As a kid, I remember the many years when my grandparents would attend this church, Hope Christian Church, when we were located at High Point High School. I remember the years of sitting next to my grandparents at church while they would usher, and then following them to where they would sit around the table, count the offering from the collection, and of course granddad would always make everyone laugh by cracking jokes. My granddad was always very careful with his money, always saving his money, yet always very generous in taking care of others.

My grandma said to me the other week “he was the one with all the personality and charm”, which of course he thankfully passed onto her! If you had the privilege to know my granddad, you know he had quite the sense of humor. We always said he had the corniest jokes, but really he was one of the quickest guys I've ever met, and could think of a comeback in a split second. There was never a moment without laughter when you were with granddad. He used to pick me on me as a kid because I was the baby, but I’m truly thankful for it because, I’ve learned to be tough, stand up for myself, and I’ve been able to have his same sense of humor. I remember when I began dating my now-husband, Carlos. Granddad used to ask Carlos, "so how much do I have to pay you to take her off my hands?" Of course I would gasp, then we would all laugh, knowing that one day he would truly miss me when I moved out of his home to get married. Whenever I gave my granddad a compliment or told him how much I loved him, his response would always be "how much do I owe you this time?”

By now, throughout my speaking, my grandfather would've interrupted me to crack a joke saying "pass the offering plate down, so we can end this sermon!" He wasn't into things being sad and sappy, but making people laugh and seeing smiles on everyone's faces. As much as this is a sad time, we must rejoice knowing he's with Jesus and finally pain free. If you're here today, and don't know the Lord, I urge you to please repent of your sins and place your faith in Jesus. He kept the law perfectly on behalf of his people, he was the substitution for sinners, who died on the cross to receive the punishment that we justly deserve. So please, repent of your sins and turn to Christ for the forgiveness of sins. I'm thankful to know that one day I look forward to seeing my grandfather again.

One of the last times I prayed with him, granddad said “what you want to do with me Lord, I’m ready for whatever you want, anytime.” Our life is but a vapor, and quickly fading, so I want to ask you these questions: what legacy will you leave behind once you pass away? My grandfathers legacy is extraordinary! Is how you live your life now, the way you want people to remember you? Make sure that you live an incredible life, pleasing to the Lord and that others are blown away at the legacy you left behind, just like my granddad, Howard Parlette.