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Edited on Sat Mar-20-04 01:33 PM by Padraig18
It took all evening and most of the morning to write this, but here are the remarks I plan to give at my friends' memorial service. They're short and sweet, like the old woman's dance:
As I stand here today, it is very difficult to not be sad, yet I believe in my heart that Leonard and Tanya would not have wanted sadness at this, the celebration of their lives; for that reason, I will not dwell upon the tragic event that took them from us last Saturday evening, or our shared grief, but mean to speak of more important things.
Leonard and Tanya were my friends, and who here today could fail to understand what a special thing that was, to be friends with them? Leonard's warm, blue eyes and droll wit, and Tanya's boundless energy and jingling bracelets. Whenever you saw one, you saw both, generally, because they were not merely husband and wife, but best friends for life. You got 2 for the price of 1 when you knew the Woods, and a better bargain you never saw. But there was more to them than laughter and energy...
In Leonard you had a scholar, a razor-sharp intellect, an accomplished author, successful businessman, loving husband, devoted father and doting grandfather. Leonard was a true Rennaisance man, as comfortable in the drawing room playing the violin as he was in overalls on a John Deere plowing the back 40 at his beloved Cold Comfort Farm. Such men are rare these days, and I am privileged to have known him.
In Tanya, we had a one who was small in stature, but who was a giant inside, where it really counts. Opinionated, absolutely fearless and outspoken, she gloried on causes both great and small. Who can forget her battle with the County Board to preserve the main courtroom as it was in Lincoln's time, when he tried cases here? She won that one, as she generally won most battles she fought, but even when she lost, she was not downcast. Tanya was always the 'happy warrior', never happier than when in the midst of a great battle.
Most importantly, Leonard and Tanya were your parents and your grandparents, and anyone who knew them knew that that was what they considered the penultimate achievement of their shared life. Your father was proud of you kids, and every time I saw him he brought me up to date on each of you; though I do not know you well, I feel as though I do, because your father's pride in you and everything you did made me a vicarious participant in your lives. Please know that he loved you deeply. Your mother loved you deeply, as well, as you know from her frequent cards, letter and phone calls, as well as her and your father's trips to Vermont, NYC and Peoria. And you grandkikds... The six of you were very much the crowning joy of your grandmother's and grandfather's lives. I remember just last month when your grandparents told me they were going to go to a college basketball game in Peoria; I was surprised at that news, because I knew that neither of them much cared for sports, and commented on it. I'll never forget what your grandmother said: "I can't STAND basketball, but my grandson is playing, and wild horses couldn't keep me away!". I remember the trip to Vermont last fall, so that they could attend Grandparent's Day at your school, as well as your numerous visits to them here. Yes, your grandparents loved you very much, and I want you to remember that always. Today will pass away, but their love for you all will never be extinguished.
Our friends are gone, to be sure, but they will not be forgotten. Let us honor them not just today, but every day from now on. Pick a cause, great or small, and throw yourself into it with every bit of energy and intellect you can spare, because Tanya would be pleased. If you see an aging dog, take a few minutes from your busy life to stop and pet him and say some kind words to him, because Leonard would have done so. Above all, when we leave here today, let us resolve to leave this world a better place than we found it, because they did.
Thank you.
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