My Family Eulogy

I am the eldest child and grandchild on both sides of my family and this has lead me to being very loved and spoiled by my family, in particular by my Papa Simler. Ever since I was little I had him wrapped around my finger and I knew that he would do anything for me. In my eyes he was the strongest and firesist man I had ever seen and I thought he could do anything. We had a very special bond and I loved him very much, so when he got diagnosed with lung cancer my world was turned upside down.
My papa battled his cancer for 7 years and in the beginning stages I barely even saw the affects it had on him. He still seemed the same he just got tired a little faster. But, he did not stay healthy for very long. My papa had smoked for years and years before he finally quit because I was coming; however, he had damaged his lungs and the cancer finally caught up to him. He also had worked since he was a kid himself to provide for his family, so the strain of working for so long did not
Watching him lay there hooked up to so many different machines broke my heart. Knowing that he was never going to be able to take me out golfing again or even see me graduate made me feel like my world was going to shatter. But seeing Papa like that made me really understand what a gift life truly is. Every moment is precious and I need to get the most out of everything I do because eventually I too will be just like my papa. Not only did I learn to seize the moment, but I also learned how to be a more mature and strong adult. My mother, grandma, and uncle all needed a shoulder to cry on and someone to tell them that everything was okay when it was Papa’s last days. My brother and cousin were too little so I had to step up and be that comfort for them. During that time I grew up very quickly because I needed to help hold my family up during this tremendous loss just like my Papa used