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Father's Eulogy to his son Good afternoon, everybody. Thank you all
for coming. Today we celebrate a Memorial Mass for Ralph and I would like to
share some memories of him with you. When
Ralph was about six years old he along with the family, went to get a birthday
present for me. He was warned by my wife not to say anything to me. When I came
home he told me that they had bought a birthday present but that he could not
tell me what it was. When I said to him that I wouldn’t tell anybody, he
replied, “It is a watch but I cannot tell you what it is.” Ralph,
at the age of ten, wanted to leave home because he could not do or get what he
wanted at the time. Since it was about dinnertime, he said that he would leave
after dinner. He never left. Just
before the time approached for him to be confirmed, while we were going to
dinner on vacation, my wife told me
to keep an open-mind for what Ralph
was about to ask me. He asked if I would be his godfather for his Confirmation.
While I was honored, I told him that that was not the way it was intended. Being
a godfather is in place of the father, in case he is unable or dead. The
godfather would step in and do what the father would do. I suggested other
family members but while he liked them, he still wanted me. Since he was crying
I had no choice but to say yes. Unfortunately, with the Church rules, that was
not possible, and Carmel-Ann, my daughter, replaced me. The day of the
Confirmation, as they were lining up to go into church, he came to me and said, “You know you are my
godfather.” Teenage
years—We skip teenage years. I’m not bald for nothing. Along with his sister
and brother, they took turns at who could get me balder. Ralph,
as an adult, went to work as an apprentice electrician with P.E. Stone, where
they treated him as a family member and Ralph treating them as his family. Sundays
he would come down the basement and shoot the breeze. He would ask questions and
I had ready answers. If he was about to do something that I thought was a
mistake, I would give him advice
without him asking, and he would tell me, “Please, no speeches.” Ralph
was a very proud of family, country, and Local #3. He was very proud of his
Italian heritage but don’t ever say anything bad about America. My
wife and I often marvel at how lucky we are to have such a beautiful family. I
want to say thank you to Msgr. Ray, Father Stack and the Our Lady of the Snows
Church community for all the help with this Memorial Mass celebration. Thank you
to Dalton Funeral Home for their help and care. To P.E. Stone and all the
friends that Ralph worked with through the years. This
morning I asked my wife what she thought about having a round of applause for
all the people who perished on the planes, at the Pentagon and Twin Towers. She
said to do whatever I felt was right. So please, everybody, join me in a round
of applause. Thank
you all for listening. Iano |
