Tuesday, February 5, 2013

G'daddy Locklin


G'daddy Locklin went home to Heaven around midnight Feb. 3rd, 2013. He was 85.

When I married Matt, I met the greatest grandparents anyone could ever ask for! G'mama & G'daddy welcomed me into the family & treated me just like one of their granddaughters. I have SO enjoyed my time with them & my greatest joy was giving them another great-grandchild to love. 


 4 Generations at Greyson's dedication
G'daddy was so much fun to be around...a true 'southern gentlemen', funny, classic but also very serious. He was always concerned about everyone & always wanted to know..."Who's got Greyson? Someone better keep an eye on him!" =) My dad got to become one of his best buddy's. Whenever my parents came to visit, G'daddy would take dad out for breakfast (or vice versa since G'daddy couldn't drive =) It was a special time for them to be together & G'daddy always spoke highly of dad & always tried to call him & keep in touch. He loved checking up on everyone.

 He always called to check on us & always wanted to know what was going on in our lives. We spent many hours at G'mama & G'daddy's house. We even spent the night on occasion! We had countless conversations about life, the old days & all the new fangled things coming up in the world. I'll never forget when Matt & I drove them to Monroeville to visit their old "stomping grounds". We got to see & learn more about their lives back then & learn about the family we are a part of. 


G'daddy was considered legally blind even back when he was a teenager. Even with this little bump, it never slowed him down from getting an education, making or refinishing furniture or making it through his every day life. One of the first things G'mama said after he died was that he could finally SEE! How awesome it is, that the first thing you could see clearly was the face of Jesus! Not many people could say that, but he got that privilege I'm sure =)
 There are so many things that we could say & Matt has so many more memories than I do, each one is more cherished than the last. We have loved reminiscing about all the funny things G'daddy did or said & how much of an impact he has had on each one of our lives. G'daddy loved giving & he did so much for us. I never really knew how to thank him enough.




When G'daddy had his stroke, it seemed like one thing after another came up & his health declined.  During the last few months of G'daddy's life, Greyson learned to say "Hey G!" It was so cute & G'daddy always got a kick out of it. I found it ironic that even though Greyson doesn't say much, he still picked up that G'daddy was important...he somehow realized that he was something special even at his little age & learned to look for him & call his name.
After we heard the news of G'daddy's passing, we went to their house the next day. Greyson was so used to seeing G'daddy in his hospital bed & as we walked up the driveway he was already anticipating seeing him. He started saying "Hey G!...Heeey G" What really got us is when he started looking for him in his bed, but it was empty. 

Of course he doesn't understand where G'daddy is right now, but I am so glad that I will be able to tell him that he is in Heaven with Jesus! During the last few moments G'daddy told one of his nurses that he was going home. What a wonderful feeling to KNOW where you are going in your final moments. He wasn't scared, he wasn't unsure...he was ready.

G'daddy loved God & prayed a lot. He was so many things to so many people & did so much, but most importantly he was a Christian. He left a legacy behind him & those that have received Jesus as our Savior will have the hope of seeing our loved ones again.

Today we had the funeral service for G'daddy...It could not have been a more perfect day. It was absolutely gorgeous-warm with a slight breeze, the sun shining & not a cloud in the sky. Over 200 people attended the service & it was probably one of the longer funerals I've been to. It lasted at least an hour & a half, but you wouldn't have known it because everyone enjoyed it so much. I can't remember the last time I actually "enjoyed" a funeral! Yes there were moments of sadness & you can't help but cry at these times, but G'daddy wanted a celebration of life & I believe that's what he got.

Matt & his brother Jac sang "He Came to Me" as a duet. It was awesome...all the grandchildren (except spouses...I don't think I would have been able to get through speaking in front of a crowd) got up & made a tribute to G'daddy. They shared funny stories & memories of who G'daddy was & what he meant to them. It was such an amazing time of sharing love & laughter. My Father in Law sang "Look for Me at Jesus' Feet" before the message & it was so fitting to think of G'daddy doing just that. I was surprised at how well my brother in law did during the message. G'daddy wanted him to preach it & I wondered how hard that must be for a grandson to preach his grandpa's funeral! It was one of the best messages I have ever heard, making references about G'daddy's life & the importance not to live for this world, for it will pass away, but to live for Jesus who has prepared a place for us so that we can meet those that have gone on before us. There were so many other powerful things said & I know G'daddy would have been so proud of his family sharing so much on this day. I know when you love someone so much & they pass away you can never say enough about the person & what they meant to you. I laughed & cried but never once felted drained of emotions. God was our strength & allowed us to actually "celebrate" this day without feeling so sad...just like G'daddy would have wanted. 

 G'daddy we love you & will miss you, & will always have a place for you in our hearts. Can't wait to greet you in Heaven one day soon. 


post signature

1 comment:

  1. What a precious tribute to an incredible man. Life here on earth will never be the same, Megan, but so happy you and Matt will be able to teach Greyson about the wonderful Christian heritage that he was born into. Love you all!

    ReplyDelete

I'm a CEO!