June 25, 2008

Grandpa H.'s Funeral

My Mom's Dad, Grandpa (Maurice) Heninger passed away on May 30th. As soon as we heard, we all made plans to be there for the funeral in Idaho Falls. My Mom supplied us all with frequent fliers and so all 11 of us were able to make it. It was so good to be together to say goodbye to this amazing, near-perfect man. It was the most touching funeral service I have ever attended and I am sure that there wasn't a person there that wasn't crying. The highlight for me was when my cousin, Melissa, played "Meditation" on the violin, accompanied by my sister, Jessica. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard. Grandpa Heninger was such a sweet, loving, knowledgeable man who was truly loved by all who knew him. I had the privilege of living with him and my grandma for a couple summers while I was up at BYU and it will always be a cherished memory for me. One of my favorite memories was when I would play the piano in his front room, and at the end of any and every song, he would say to me, "Play it again, Sam." It made me never want to stop. He loved the hymns and would give me the background on almost every hymn after I played it. I will miss him so much but am so glad that he is now with his wife, daughter, and other loved ones.

Before the viewing in Idaho Falls.

At the burial, in Provo.

My Mom and Great Aunt Bernice.

Oliver saying "goodbye" to Grandpa.


The whole family, after the burial.


Eating lunch at Los Hermanos in Provo, after the burial. Oliver, getting some cousin lovin' in with Ella.


Yep, you guessed it. This is the piano that I used to play for Grandpa. It's now in our front room. What a blessing!

6 comments:

Rachel said...

I'm glad you took so many pictures...they were nice to see. Thats so cool that you got Grandma and Grandpa's piano....I'm sure that will be so great to have.

Andrea W. said...

Rebecca, what a sweet post. Sounds like your Grandpa was so great. I'm so glad you all got to go to his funeral and that you'll always have his piano.

The Allred Family said...

I am so jealous and excited for you that finally got that piano. I totally forgot that Grandpa used to say, "play it again Sam". He was so sweet. And that was a beautiful tribute to him!

Eliza said...

oh that was so sweet. I loved that he said "play it again sam", how cute, and I had no idea that piano had such sentimental value. sounds like a great man, thanks for sharing.

Jo said...

Rebecca, I loved reading about your grandpa and the funeral trip. What a special man he must have been, and how wonderful that you had an opportunity to be extra close to him.

I'm so happy for you to have his piano. That will be a sweet memento for your whole life.

Shauna said...

I only hope that when i leave this earth that people will say even half of the nice things that you said about your grandpa. So so so nice.

Makes you so happy to have the Gospel, its a celebration of a successful life instead of something totally depressing. And now you will be able to teach your kids piano on the same one you used to play for him. So cool!