And here's the text of the speech I gave at his funeral, which was held in Memphis, Tennessee on Saturday, January 12, 2007:
Good morning. Thank you all for being here today. Since I don't really know many of you, I'd like to take a poll before I go on. How many of you have known Robert Jones for 15 years or more? How about 25 years? 35 years? Wow! Thank you! You see, 35 years ago I was the sick baby who needed your prayers and thanks to my grandfather, you came through for me. Of course it's an honor for me to be here today, but if you'd seen me 35 years ago you'd also say it's a miracle.
Now, I live in Arizona with my wife of nine years, Brandi, and our children, Joshua, age 6, and Jacqueline, age 4. Brandi was able to be with us today, but our children are staying with friends. I was fortunate in that my kids were able to get to know my granddaddy which means that this past week was also hard for them, too.
Wednesday evening, Joshua was sitting on my bed crying like the little boy that he is. He said, "I want to see great-granddaddy again." I sat down next to him on the bed and held him in my arms. I told him to take a deep breath and close his eyes. Then, I told him to picture his great-granddaddy clearly in his mind, which he can do because we have pictures of him around the house. After he'd done this I said, "Joshua, as long as you can picture him in your mind, you always be able to see him."
I released Joshua with my right arm and put it around Jacqueline. She said that great-grama must be sad. One of her best friend's grandmothers succomed to cancer relatively recently, so she seems to understand the sadness associated with that kind of loss. I told her that we're all sad because we all love him. Then, my four-year old daughter looked me in the eye and said, "Tell great-grama that I'll never, ever forget him."
I've spent the last couple of nights in his room in my grandparents' townhouse. It was a comforting feeling because his presence is everywhere. I don't mean that in a supernatural sense. The room has the pictures that I know were special to him. There is a stack of Sunday Prayer Bulletins on his bedside table; the latest of which is dated December 30th, 2007. There are also eight clocks in the room...all set to the exact same time!
His legacy is much more than pictures, papers, and synchonized time pieces, though. I feel my grandfather's legacy whenever I feel my father's unconditional love. I hear my grandfather's legacy whenever I hear my brother's quick wit. And I see my grandfather's legacy whenver I see my son's protruding ears.
Those we love are never truly gone. Like I told my son, as long as I can picture him in my mind, I'll always be able to see him. And like my daughter, I'll never, ever forget him. Thank you.
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