Funeral Home
Eulogy Part 2
Ed was a kind and gentle man who loved his grand children. During those fun years when Nancy and I were raising our kids, Ed and Lorraine were involved grandparents, always available to help out when needed. Carolyn, John and Jackie have fond memories of staying overnight with grandma and grandpa and playing games at the farm. Nancy and I have also have fond memories of the kids staying overnight at the farm, but for different reasons. Ed and Lorraine loved to travel and took Nancy and the kids on many exciting and educational trips. One summer they went to England, France, and Italy. Another summer they did an Alaska land sea cruise. Perhaps the most fun of all was a cruise on Disney’s Big Red Boat. There were also multiple car trips around the country including a visit to see the Grand Canyon. I lived in Arizona for nine years and I never saw the Grand Canyon. My point in reviewing these stories is to illustrate the deep bond that Ed and Lorraine have with their grandchildren. Thank you Ed and thank you Lorraine for all you help and kindness over the years.
Dealing with declining health, Ed’s last few years were tough ones, tough on him and tough on his family. However, there is one funny story I would like to share although it wasn’t funny at the time. Last summer Nancy and I were at the farm and she asked me to watch Ed while she and her mom went out for a couple of hours. Ed could only walk very slowly with a walker and besides he was in bed taking a nap, so this should be easy. About a half hour later I was working on the computer in the front room when I heard the screen door slam. It took a minute to register that the screen door wasn’t supposed to be slamming because Ed was suppose to be taking a nap. I ran into his room and he was gone. I then ran outside thinking he had gone out to road to get the mail. At that point I was mentally working on my alibi in case something bad had happened. There was no Ed in the front of the house so I ran around to the back and there he was sitting in a lawn chair soaking up the sun. When I came up to him with my heart beating a mile a minute he looked up at me and said “nice day”.
During his final years no man ever had more love or care than Ed did in this difficult time. That his children devoted as much time as possible to taking care their dad and visiting him almost daily in the nursing home or hospital is a testament to their love for their father. We should all be so lucky to have this kind of love and support in our declining years.
I last saw Ed shortly before he passed away. Lorraine, my son John and I had lunch with Ed at the My Doctors Inn where he was living. It was a long lunch because Ed needed help eating and he still had the appetite of a hoarse. Toward the end of lunch Lorraine asked Ed what he was going to do today. For an instant the old Ed returned and he said “I’m going home to work out”. A few days later he left us. May God bless and welcome home Ed Kwiecinski… husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle and friend.