June 25, 1935 – February 10, 2007
Funeral Mass Eulogy for Ben Moreno
Delivered by his son, Joe, at St. Hugh’s Church on 2/14/2007
When I heard the news that Dad had passed away the first thought that immediately ran through my head was, “Boy, I’m really going to miss him.”
Surprisingly, I wasn’t as shocked or distraught as I thought I would be considering how close Dad and I were. And then I realized that we never had any unresolved issues. We never left anything unsaid that needed to be said. This probably comes from growing up in my New York - Italian family were we always spoke our mind - sometimes quite loudly.
Mom, Margaret: The next few weeks and months are going to be tough on us as we learn to live in a world without Dad. But, we will get through it. We will.
We all have great memories of my father. I’m sure my Mom will be more than happy to tell everyone about one particular incident some 23 years ago on the Belt Parkway. As for me, I want to share three memories of my father with everyone here that have come to mean so much to me over the past few days.
The first memory I want to share is that I vividly and clearly remember the last time I was with Dad. As he dropped me off at the airport we both got out of the car and we gave each other a big hug and kiss. What a great way to say goodbye.
The second memory is from last Thursday night. Laura and I video conferenced with Dad for quite some time. For about thirty or forty-five minutes we got to see and hear each other one final time as we shot-the-breeze, reminisced, and laughed.
This memory has come to mean so much to me.
The last memory I want to share with you occurred a few hours after I found out that Dad had passed. I turned on my computer and there was the last e-mail Dad had sent to me on Friday night. It almost seemed like a message from beyond the grave. I had helped Dad fix a problem with his computer on Friday evening and his final message to me was simply, “Joe: Thank You. Love, Dad.”
No, Dad, thank you. Thank you for everything you’ve given us. I want to especially thank you for giving me the courage and confidence to follow my wildest dreams and jump for the stars. And Mom, thank you for giving me the common sense to always make sure I had a safe place to land for those times when I failed.
We love you, Dad. God bless you. And, boy, we’re really going to miss you.
No comments:
Post a Comment